Aminka — I really like that name. It sounds cute, and it sounds sexy at the same time. What do you picture when you hear that name? A pet, a girl, something sweet and edible like pastry?
For those who are into names and language in general — words, semantics, and the magic of speech — “Aminka” might sound African. But it is actually a name borne by Eastern European women! Indeed, a Google search for this name reveals that most Aminkas online, at least, are Slavic, not African.
So did you picture a black woman, then? Or a white one? Do you, in fact, try to guess the ethnicity of a person online — say, someone who’s posted a comment on a forum?
Don’t be shy; it’s okay. Ethnicity matters less online for most internet users but for some reason it’s still interesting to many of us. Sometimes I wonder whether someone writing, for example, a pro-Russian comment in a conversation about Russian foreign policy is, in truth, Russian after all. No-brainer, you might say — and it is a reasonable assumption, if assumptions must be made in the first place.
So what would you make of someone whose name is Aminka that turns out to be both Slavic and African? Furthermore, what would you think if she’s an author who’s dedicated to romance fiction featuring black female and Asian male leads?
That same Google search for the name referenced earlier also happens to reveal just such a person, with just such an ambition. There are a few other Aminkas online — a videogamer who goes by that name for a nom de plume, evidently; another who is an artist; yet another in healthcare, maybe…but only one former model-turned-author of romance fiction.
It’s an interesting name to me, vaguely evocative yet apparently meaningless — does anyone Slavic know? Maybe someone of African descent can chime in, too. I’m really curious!
Who am I? ”My name is for my friends” — love that line from Lawrence of Arabia. Don’t you?
Anyway, there’s something about this name that fascinates me. If you have a clue, please drop it to deloresp90 at Yahoo! dot com. Yes, that’s my e-mail addy. I’m serious! Let me know what it means, or how you got that name if it’s you. I’d really appreciate it! This is just an itch that I have to have scratched….
Thank you very much. Til then, have a good one, okay now!