Koné (surname)

Koné (KOH-nay), also spelt Kone, is a surname found mostly in North and West Africa, in particular Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Guinea.[1]

Historically, the name Koné is a clan name (or patronym[2]) of the Mandinka and closely related Bambara peoples.[3] It is related to another clan name, Jara/Diarra,[4][2] and is heard in many of the chronicles that have been handed down orally.[5] Both are frequently praised together in song, signifying bravery and fearlessness.[4][6]

Today, the name is found mostly in Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, and France (a holdover from the French colonial empire in that region) but has also spread to North America. It is also used as a given name.[1]

Other derivations

There is also a similar German name, Köne, originating in the Old Germanic name Kuonrat (kōniz, meaning able, clever, and rēdaz, meaning help, advise.[7]

The Indian name Kone derives from the caste name Konar. The caste name is interchangeable with the names "Konar" and "Kovalar", being derived from Tamil word Kōn, which can mean "king" and "herdsmen".[8][9]

People with the name

Surname, West African origin

Other surnames

Given name

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Koné Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History". Forebears. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b Frank, B.E. (2022). Griot Potters of the Folona: The History of an African Ceramic Tradition. Indiana University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-253-05897-3. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Kone name meaning & kone family history". Ancestry.com. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b Larkan, F.; Murphy, F. (2017). Memory and Recovery in Times of Crisis. Memory Studies: Global Constellations. Taylor & Francis. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-317-02037-0. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  5. ^ Austen, R.A. (1999). In Search of Sunjata: The Mande Oral Epic as History, Literature, and Performance. Indiana University Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-253-21248-1. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  6. ^ Belcher, S. (1999). Epic Traditions of Africa. Indiana University Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-253-21281-8. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Köne". Name-Doctor.com. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  8. ^ Allchin, Frank Raymond (1963). Neolithic Cattle-keepers of South India. Cambridge University. p. 101.
  9. ^ Hiltebeitel, Alf (1988). The Cult of Draupadi. University of Chicago Press. p. 35. ISBN 9780226340463.