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Yvonne Ncube, Showbiz Reporter
This week saw people across the globe looking for their own names on Urban Dictionary (UD) and sharing the good and not-so-positive “definitions” in the latest craze to grab social media.

Urban dictionary entries have most likely appeared in your own feed in the last few days following a trend that appears to have begun on Instagram.

The prompt “Show us your name in Urban Dictionary,” started by Instagram user @bymayuuu, rapidly went viral. By the time of writing, more than 2,9 million people had contributed to this movement.

It has, like most social media trends, spread to other sites. In just a three-day blitz, the “show us your name in Urban Dictionary” fad had swept through social media platforms.

On Twitter, the name trend has been dominant since Monday, with users also posting screenshots of their UD-prescribed definitions and some users putting their name meanings on their profiles. Not forgetting the hashtags Urban Dictionary.

What is the Urban Dictionary? For those who are not acquainted, Urban Dictionary is an online glossary that was originally developed to explain colloquial phrases. For years, it has documented slang and pervasive words that dominate social media.

The site has also grown to define political terms, video games and the latest human names.

The UD name definitions, on the other hand, are arbitrary, with sometimes odd specific definitions and other times meaningless descriptions.

The entries are not identical to the ones contained in more conventional dictionaries like the Oxford English Dictionary or the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

I looked up my own name “Yvonne” for purposes of this research and results under my name ranged from stories drawn from Hindu mythology to others that characterise Yvonne as strong, energetic, and muscular.

This is in juxtaposition to the French meaning of the name, which translates as salmon pink water lily with shaded blossoms and a hint of lemon yellow at the base.

You might consider looking up your own name.

Simply enter your name into the top search bar on Urban Dictionary’s website. Then, from the drop-down list, select your correctly spelt name to be transported to the page that describes your name.

Based on how common your name is, you may have hundreds of entries to sort through, so even if you do not like one term, you are sure to discover at least one positive definition. Do not lag behind; instead, join the trend.

Other users, however, are not impressed with this trend despite the fact that millions of others are. An Instagram user by the handle @yerr.nyc commented with a caption: “Urban Dictionary got you all believing lies about yourselves,” the user posted along with laughing emojis.

@ChocolateBronson also commented “You all are just too old to be searching your names in an urban dictionary. Or are you 12?”

Despite the criticism from other Instagramers, this did not stop the fun, people continue to join the crusade.
Chronicle Showbiz went out on the streets of Bulawayo to see if residents have joined in on the craze, with a particular focus on Instagram account holders.

Thando Tshuma said she took part in the trend but was not fascinated.

“I searched my name and the results I got were just ordinary. I don’t know whether it’s because it’s a vernacular name or for whatever reason.

My name simply means love, but the results I got were strong, beautiful and understanding which is not accurate.

“Although I did not post the meaning of my name I enjoyed reading the meanings of other people. Some responses were just absurd and funny. In some cases a “Peter” being described as a beautiful man.

That was quite new and catchy,” said Thando.

Ntuthuko Ndlovu aka DJ Ntu2kay said he joined in the craze because of peer pressure.

“I first learnt about urban dictionaries on people’s statuses on WhatsApp. I ignored it and then came across it on Instagram as well. So I decided to join in because, personally I don’t like being a laggard.

If everyone is doing it then I’m also doing it. It’s quite an entertaining trend because it gives people confidence about the meanings of their names, mostly the positive results.

“However, its explicit language is not quite encouraged for certain age groups. It is also manipulating people as it gives false information on the meaning of one’s name. For example, the correct meaning of my name is “development” but the definition I got was “Ntuthuko is the name for cute, charming and cool blacks. Girls prefer Ntuthuko to rich guys.”

I found this funny to pass time,” said Ntu2kay.

Nokuthaba Ndlovu said UD only made sense to those with popular names.

“I first came across UD among the most used hashtags on Twitter so I wondered what it was. I then checked it out then went on to check my own name. Disappointingly for us whose names are not prevalent, we get not-so-interesting results.

So because of that, I lost interest in the challenge,” she said. — @SeehYvonne