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Her Name Was Enough: Caribbean Women, Name Changes, and the Mental Health Toll of Assimilation

“I changed my name on my resume just to get a call back.”


It’s a quiet, painful reality that many Caribbean women in Canada live with. Their names infused with history, meaning, and pride are too often viewed as barriers in white-dominated spaces. And so, many change them. Not because they want to, but because survival sometimes requires erasure.


The Pressure to Conform


From job applications to healthcare intake forms, Caribbean women are frequently met with stares, mispronunciations, and questions when their names appear. Research shows that people with ethnic-sounding names are less likely to receive interview callbacks compared to those with Anglo-Saxon names, even when qualifications are identical (Oreopoulos, 2011).


For many, the decision to anglicize their name to adopt a nickname, abbreviate, or omit part of it isn’t about shame. It’s about access. Access to jobs. Access to safety. Access to being taken seriously.

But what does it cost?

Names Are More Than Labels


In Caribbean culture, names often carry layers of meaning: they reflect ancestry, spirituality, cultural pride, and family legacy. When women are forced to change or hide their names to navigate a white-dominant society, it can lead to internalized inferiority and fractured identity (Mohanty, 2020).


This process what researchers call “nominative assimilation,”can feel like death by a thousand cuts. The cumulative effect of being told, explicitly or implicitly, that your name is too much chips away at self-worth over time (Sow, 2021).


The Mental Health Consequences


The emotional toll of name-based discrimination is deep and often invisible. Caribbean women who alter their names may experience:


  • Identity confusion

  • Chronic anxiety in professional and academic settings

  • Grief and guilt for distancing from family and culture

  • Lowered self-esteem and self-worth


According to psychological research, name-based exclusion can evoke similar trauma responses as racial microaggressions resulting in heightened stress, hypervigilance, and emotional withdrawal (Molina, 2022).

🌿 What We Help With at NJCCS


At Nada Johnson Consulting & Counselling Services (NJCCS), we understand that being forced to question your name means being forced to question yourself. That’s why we hold space for Caribbean women navigating these quiet forms of erasure.


Here are 5 ways we help women reclaim their wholeness:


  1. Name Grief Work – We explore the grief and conflict associated with name changes, misnaming, or pressure to conform.

  2. Rebuilding Cultural Connection – Through guided storytelling and inner child healing, we reconnect with the cultural and familial roots behind your name.

  3. Identity Affirmation Practices – We use affirmations, ancestral work, and narrative therapy to help you take up space as your full self.

  4. Workplace Navigation Support – We explore practical strategies and boundary-setting tools to face name-based microaggressions at work.

  5. Unlearning Shame – We help you unpack internalized colonial messages that taught you your name wasn’t “professional enough” or “pronounceable.”


💬 You Deserve to Be Called by Your Name Fully and Freely


Your name is not the problem. Your name is a poem, a legacy, a story that deserved to be spoken correctly, and with respect.


If you’re tired of shrinking your identity to feel seen, NJCCS is here to walk beside you on the path back to your full self.


📩 Book your first session at nadajohnsonservices.com



Warm regards,

 

Nada Johnson, MSW, RSW

Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist / trained Family Mediator / EMDR Trained Therapist / Certified Racial Trauma Clinician / Mental Health & Sexual Violence Consultant / Professional Speaker


Nada Johnson Consulting & Counselling Services - Online phone and video sessions available

Village Healing Centre: 240 Roncesvalles Avenue

C: 437-887-6146


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References

Molina, K. M. (2022). Naming trauma: The psychological impact of name-based microaggressions. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 31(2), 134–150.

Mohanty, C. T. (2020). Feminism without borders: Decolonizing theory, practicing solidarity. Duke University Press.

Oreopoulos, P. (2011). Why do skilled immigrants struggle in the labor market? A field experiment with thirteen thousand resumes. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 3(4), 148–171.

Sow, A. (2021). What’s in a name? Identity, belonging, and mispronunciation trauma. Cultural Studies Review, 27(1), 42–58.


Want More Support for Your Professional & Personal Growth?

🔷Try Potential Unlocked™


In addition to counseling, NJCCS offers coaching through our sister brand, Potential Unlocked™, designed specifically for professional women navigating career, leadership, and life transitions.


We support clients with:

  • Communication and conflict strategy in the workplace

  • Career development and leadership coaching

  • Navigating workplace dynamics and burnout recovery

  • Building confidence in both personal and professional relationships (Online dating empowerment coaching, because personal growth impacts professional life too!)


👉 Visit www.potentialunlocked.ca to learn more or book a free 10-minute consultation call.



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