“Chimamanda isn’t exactly my real name” — Ngozi Adichie

Iconic Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in a recent interview got candid with media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu where she opened up about a number of topics pertaining her identity transformation that surprised many.

The writer who is most famous for her hit novels, Purple Hibiscus, Half of A Yellow Sun, Americanah and other short stories, revealed that her first name “Chimamanda” isn’t actually her given birth name.

Chimamanda Adichie recounted how she was originally named Ngozi Grace which she found dissatisfying and had to adopt the name “Amanda” during her school years to fit better with her peers. The author would then go on to merge it with an Igbo name to maintain her identity later on.

“I wanted an Igbo name but didn’t want Ngozi. I didn’t feel like Ngozi… I remember just lying there and it came to me: Chimamanda,”

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The revelation came as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explained how she sought a name that better represented her heritage and personal identity, while also keeping elements of her previous name to avoid administrative hurdles.

“I didn’t want to be introduced to the world as Amanda… I wanted a name that had Amanda in it, so that I wouldn’t have to change my passport because I already had the identity,”

Reflecting on the power and significance of names, she described how this shift occurred just before her debut novel’s release, giving her a sense of legitimacy that resonated with her roots.

“It feels legitimate now because half of the kids born in Igboland are being named Chimamanda.”

Today, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stands not just as a name but a symbol of cultural pride, with many Igbo children now carrying the name in her honor.

On how the ‘Amanda really came up, the Novelist said;

“I was born Ngozi Grace. Growing up, I always felt I wasn’t a Grace—Grace was my mother’s name—and Ngozi felt to me common.”

The chance to add ‘Amanda’ to her names came up during her Catholic confirmation;

“The priest said it has to be a saint. People were choosing ridiculous names like Bernadette. I was like, no,” she explained. Then after reading a novel where a character was named ‘Amanda’, she decided to go with the name. “I thought, my name is Amanda.”