How did Sioux Indians get their individual names?

Answer 1

Among most native American groups, name-giving was a complex and important part of an individual's identity that was very different to modern English or American naming.

A young child might first be given an "everyday" name by a male relative such as an uncle or grandfather, or by a medicine man. This name might be one previously carried by a long-ago famous warrior, as a way of respecting and remembering the name. The family might also give the child a pet name known only to close family and friends.

As the child grew up, another name might replace the original "everyday name" - sometimes a boy would be given his own father's name (as in the case of Crazy Horse), when the father would take on an alternate name.

Sometimes, if a warrior was involved in some specially famous war or religious exploit, he might take on another name to commemorate that deed. Sacred visions would often include instructions about particular ways for warriors to apply their war paint and this might lead to a change of name - an example being "Rain-in the-Face", referring to his face paint.

Some names were simply a reference to some obvious physical characteristic, such as "Touch the Clouds" (who was extremely tall).

Even women might have an everyday name that was taken from a long-ago warrior, so it was not unusual for Lakota women to be called names like "Takes the Shield", "Kills Plenty" or "Takes the Picketed Horse", even when they had done nothing like that themselves.

Answer 2

The Sioux (Lakota, Nakota and Dakota) have a complicated naming system with six classes of names: birth order, honor, special deed, nicknames, sacred, and spirit names.

The first name was given based on the gender and birth position of the child.

The sacred and spirit names were only known to the individual and the Medicine Man.

A person could have several names during his/her lifetime, adapted to the individual at the time they were given to them.