The name Toto means “Monkey” in Swahili. Toto means “goat” in Dutch. So, basically Toto means “Goat Monkey”?. Not much clear from that alone, though it is not unknown that Toto means “Goat Monkey” in Swahili as well.
So, what does “Goat Monkey” mean anyway? The name is derived from a legend that a monkey (TOTO) tricked a cowherder’s daughter into giving him milk. The legend says that Toto was annoyed because he felt the milk was not from a healthy goat. So, to make up for it, he scratched the cowherd’s daughter with his tail until she ate some of the milk, thus making her fat.
This legend then goes on to say that Toto was the one who taught the cowherd’s daughter how to cook the milk, thus becoming her friend and mentor. But, this legend seems to be largely false, as there are no reports of Toto ever being seen or heard of by anyone. However, the meaning behind the name Toto could have some significance in Nigeria. Namely, “Toto” is a common African word which means “one who is lazy or a tramp”.
The other meaning for “Toto” is “a boy or one who sings and dances”. Therefore, the name may be derived from either of these. The word “toto” can also mean “one who has a high opinion of himself”. For example, if a person has a high opinion of themselves, they might be called a “Toto”. Thus, someone with a high opinion of themselves could be called a toto.
One possible origin for the name Toto comes from a story where a toto called Toto had the ability to talk. He used this skill to lure his enemies. Another possible origin is that Toto means “one who plays an instrument”. Thus, someone who plays an instrument might have been called a toto. A more likely origin for the name Toto would be a variation on the word “totokot” which means “potato”.
There are many more alleged meanings for the name of Toto. Some of those mentioned above are very popular among people in the West, and some are not. The most common explanation for the meaning of the name Toto, however, is that it is from a Japanese phrase that means “one who claps his hands”. In other words, Toto was a percussion instrument or a “clapper”. This would make sense in many ways, especially when one considers that it was a common tool of entertainment during the time of the samurai.