New Post
Search
Help[Opinions] African names
This is a question for tbe people here who live in a more "global village" area, what are the names you've seen on people born in different parts of Africa? I'm talking mostly sub-saharan africa. Since people ib different parts of africa (especially west africa) have a very eclectic namebank to choose from, with names in english, arabic, greek, hebrew, latin, french, german and spanish to choose from in addition to their native languages.
1
Replies
Uh, off the top of my head...
Maipelo
Dahabo
Filsan
Cabdiraxmaan
Faarax
Farxiyo
Etenesh
Djamila
Nimco
Shukri
Those are Eastern African (from Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia) with the exception of Maipelo (I don't remember what country she was from - she was going to a Christian university in the US).
Some random names of people born in Africa I've just seen in media...
Ilhan (Somalia)
Ruby (Ghana)
Chifundo (Malawi)
Hopewell (South Africa)
Trevor (South Africa)
Oumou (Mali)
Boubacar (Mali)
Fatoumata (Mali)
Rokia (Mali)
Kassé Mady (Mali)
Nyasha (Zimbabwe)
Junior Fashion (Zambia)
Cheikh (Senegal)
Ablaye (Senegal)
Kadialy (Senegal)
Ayub (Kenya)
Some people born in the US whose names I know are African-influenced...
Rudo
Bakari
Nosizwe
Khadija
Malika
Aisha
Walidah
Blessing
Promise
Maipelo
Dahabo
Filsan
Cabdiraxmaan
Faarax
Farxiyo
Etenesh
Djamila
Nimco
Shukri
Those are Eastern African (from Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia) with the exception of Maipelo (I don't remember what country she was from - she was going to a Christian university in the US).
Some random names of people born in Africa I've just seen in media...
Ilhan (Somalia)
Ruby (Ghana)
Chifundo (Malawi)
Hopewell (South Africa)
Trevor (South Africa)
Oumou (Mali)
Boubacar (Mali)
Fatoumata (Mali)
Rokia (Mali)
Kassé Mady (Mali)
Nyasha (Zimbabwe)
Junior Fashion (Zambia)
Cheikh (Senegal)
Ablaye (Senegal)
Kadialy (Senegal)
Ayub (Kenya)
Some people born in the US whose names I know are African-influenced...
Rudo
Bakari
Nosizwe
Khadija
Malika
Aisha
Walidah
Blessing
Promise
This message was edited 8/16/2023, 9:38 PM
1
Back when I worked at the public library, a family that had moved from Nigeria came in to get library cards. I always remember them because when I looked at the names on the applications, I asked the father if they were Igbo (as I had seen one of them on this website before) and he was super surprised that I had recognized it. He asked me how I knew and I told him about my interest in names.
Father: Temple
Daugher: Ucheoma
Son: Ngozi
Son: Ndubisi
Son: Ugochuisuw
Father: Temple
Daugher: Ucheoma
Son: Ngozi
Son: Ndubisi
Son: Ugochuisuw
1
I feel like I've met someone named Ucheoma or seen it in passing somewhere (though maybe it was here!). Nice to know it's Nigerian.
This message was edited 8/16/2023, 10:09 PM
1
is Temple a translated name? I know of a lot of Nigerians with names like Godspower and other english names translated from Yoruba
1
I don't know. I wish I had asked him more questions about it at the time. I did think it was strange that he would have an English word for a name and none of his children do.
1
I used to work with a lot of families from the Congo and a few other nearby countries. All the people I can remember:
Males:
Archange
Lord
Azmack
Andrew
Jean-Marie
Benjamin
Christian
Manasse
Emmanuel
Pascal
Joel
Joshua
Chris
Tafadzwa (middle name)
Chila
Marchand
Females:
Believe
Grace
Ciara Bintu
Juliana Baysila
Zozo
Bernice
Francine
Rita
Kyria Lumiere Makaya
Christine
Sylvia
Blessing
Merveille
Ketsia
Benedicte
Niclette
I know there were many more that I can't remember. This area had a lot of French influence.
Males:
Archange
Lord
Azmack
Andrew
Jean-Marie
Benjamin
Christian
Manasse
Emmanuel
Pascal
Joel
Joshua
Chris
Tafadzwa (middle name)
Chila
Marchand
Females:
Believe
Grace
Ciara Bintu
Juliana Baysila
Zozo
Bernice
Francine
Rita
Kyria Lumiere Makaya
Christine
Sylvia
Blessing
Merveille
Ketsia
Benedicte
Niclette
I know there were many more that I can't remember. This area had a lot of French influence.
2
Well of course there are scores of different cultures and languages in Africa.
In Omaha we have many refugees from South Sudan who are from the Nuer ethnic group. Almost all female names in Nuer culture start with Nya- or Nyi-, a femininizing prefix. Some examples are Nyadet (woman-goats), Nyanyoch (girl born during the flood year), Nyawech (woman village dweller) and Nyibol (second child born after the twins). In the Nuer language the Ny- in these names is pronounced as in the English word "canyon", but in Nebraska it usually ends up being pronounced to rhyme with "buy a" or Maya as in Maya Angelou.
A Nuer male name which is fairly common is Tesloach, "happy heart", also sometimes spelled Teathloach or Tethloch. Another male Nuer name is Gatbel, "son of corn", given to boys born around the time of a successful harvest.
In Omaha we have many refugees from South Sudan who are from the Nuer ethnic group. Almost all female names in Nuer culture start with Nya- or Nyi-, a femininizing prefix. Some examples are Nyadet (woman-goats), Nyanyoch (girl born during the flood year), Nyawech (woman village dweller) and Nyibol (second child born after the twins). In the Nuer language the Ny- in these names is pronounced as in the English word "canyon", but in Nebraska it usually ends up being pronounced to rhyme with "buy a" or Maya as in Maya Angelou.
A Nuer male name which is fairly common is Tesloach, "happy heart", also sometimes spelled Teathloach or Tethloch. Another male Nuer name is Gatbel, "son of corn", given to boys born around the time of a successful harvest.
1
Intersting. The one sudanian immigrant (refugee, really) I knew in my town was named Emmanuel, so I assume he's not a muslim. Though there's abiut 150k sudanese and eritreans here in Israel, mostly in southern Tel Aviv.
1
Almost all of the Nuer people are Christians, but they mostly belong to Protestant churches which have never encouraged them to use Biblical names or saints' names so they continue to use the traditional names of their culture.
1