[Ads-l] Origins of "Bojangles"

[Shapiro, Fred]

Instead of my usual historical lexicography, here's some historical onomastics.  The name "Bojangles" is well-known as the nickname of the most prominent African American entertainer of the first half of the 20th century (Bill Robinson), and as the title of Jerry Jeff Walker's 1968 song "Mr. Bojangles."  I have often wondered about the etymology of this name, and decided to look into it.

There has been mention on this list of the so-called "Shapiro's Law": A surprising number of words and phrases are found earliest in the names of racehorses.  The earliest trace of "Bojangles" I have found is as the name of a horse in racing reports in Montreal and Buffalo newspapers on Newspapers.com.  For example, the horse Bojangles in discussed in the Montreal Daily Star, July 14, 1900, p. 16.  The Star spells the name several times as "Bojangles" but in one instance spells it "Bowjangles."  Unfortunately there is no explanation of the etymology.

Fred Shapiro (who, with his wife, owns a horse named Tiger — his full name is Tigerote Juno, given by a previous owner who clearly took the "ote" part from Don Quixote, we don't know why "Tiger" is in the name, he doesn't have stripes)

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