Abstract:
The paper describes reasons as to why people change their personal Names. The act of changing
names is not only deeply rooted from person decision but also sociocultural implication. The
existing body of literature dwell on the factors for naming personal names, this attracts attentions
for the factors of personal names changing . The study used descriptive theory which argues that
the meaning of the name is identical to its descriptions and their referents satisfy these
explanations. The study used purposive sampling in selecting twenty informants aged 20-50, ten
from villages and the rest from the town area in Tanzania, snowball technique was used in
selecting them as they seemed to change their names. The study used qualitative approach under
descriptive theory in data analysis and discussion thematically. It was found that divorce,
business, articulation simplification, safety and security, homosexuality, religious conversion and
artistic purpose were circumstantial contexts of changing names. It was concluded that names
changing results into loosing and endangering sociocultural identities of human historical
heritage because African names serve not only as identifiers but also as powerful tools for
driving and develo
