Alhaji m Western African, HausaMeans
"the pilgrim" in Hausa, a derivative of Arabic
حَجّ (hajj) meaning "pilgrimage, hajj". It is typically a title, not a name.
Bello m Western African, Fula, HausaPossibly from Fula
ballo meaning
"helper". This name was borne by Muhammad Bello (1781-1837), the second leader of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Chi 2 m & f Igbo Mythology, Western African, IgboMeans
"god, spiritual being" in Igbo, referring to the personal spiritual guardian that each person is believed to have. Christian Igbo people use it as a name for the personal Christian god (as opposed to the omnipresent
Chukwu, though the names are used synonymously in some contexts). This can also be a short form of the many Igbo names that begin with this element.
Chidi m & f Western African, IgboMeans
"God exists" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
dị meaning "is". It is also a short form of Igbo names beginning with
Chidi.
Ibrahim m Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, Kazakh, Bosnian, Dhivehi, Albanian, Western African, Eastern African, Hausa, SwahiliForm of
Abraham in several languages.
Lawal m Western African, HausaFrom Arabic
أوّل (awwal) meaning
"first". It is sometimes added to the name of the first of multiple siblings who share the same given name.
Nnamdi m Western African, IgboMeans
"my father is alive" in Igbo. This name is given to a child when it is believed that he is a reincarnation of his grandfather.
Ola 3 m & f Western African, YorubaFrom Yoruba
ọlà meaning
"wealth" or the related
ọlá meaning
"honour, respect". It is also a short form of names containing those elements.
Rabiu m Western African, HausaFrom Arabic
رابع (rabi') meaning
"fourth", sometimes added to a given name to indicate the fourth sibling bearing it.
Salisu m Western African, HausaFrom Arabic
ثالث (thalith) meaning
"third", sometimes added to a shared given name to indicate the third sibling bearing it.
Sani 2 m Western African, HausaFrom Arabic
ثان (thani) meaning
"second". If two or more siblings share the same given name, this name may be appended to that of the second.
Shehu m Western African, HausaFrom Arabic
شيخ (shaykh) meaning
"elder, chief, sheikh", a title of Usman dan Fodio (1754-1817), the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Umar m Arabic, Urdu, Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Indonesian, Western African, HausaMeans
"populous, flourishing", derived from Arabic
عمر ('umr) meaning "life". Umar was a companion and strong supporter of the Prophet
Muhammad who became the second caliph of the Muslims. He is considered to be one of the great founders of the Muslim state. The name was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Persia, Umar Khayyam.