Abeni f YorubaMeans
"we prayed and we received" in Yoruba.
Abidemi m & f YorubaMeans
"born in my absence" in Yoruba. It is typically given to children born when the father is away.
Abosede f YorubaMeans
"comes with the start of the week" in Yoruba, given when the child is born on Sunday.
Adaeze f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of the king" in Igbo.
Adanna f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of the father" in Igbo.
Adannaya f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of her father" in Igbo.
Ade 1 m & f YorubaFrom Yoruba
adé meaning
"crown", also a short form of other names beginning with this element.
Adegoke m YorubaMeans
"the crown has ascended the mountain" in Yoruba.
Adeola f & m YorubaMeans
"the crown of wealth" in Yoruba. It is also a surname.
Adisa m & f YorubaMeans
"bundled up and set to dry" in Yoruba.
Afua f AkanMeans
"born on Friday" in Akan.
Akinyi f LuoMeans
"born in the morning" in Luo.
Akli m BerberMeans
"slave, servant, black" in Tamazight.
Akua f AkanMeans
"born on Wednesday" in Akan.
Alaba f & m YorubaMeans
"second child after twins" in Yoruba.
Alhaji m HausaMeans
"the pilgrim" in Hausa, a derivative of Arabic
حَجّ (hajj) meaning "pilgrimage, hajj". It is typically a title, not a name.
Ama f AkanMeans
"born on Saturday" in Akan.
Amahle m & f ZuluMeans
"the beautiful ones" in Zulu.
Amogelang m & f TswanaDerived from Tswana
amogela meaning
"welcome, accept".
Anan 1 m & f AkanMeans
"fourth born child" in Akan.
Asabe f HausaFrom Hausa
Asabar meaning
"Saturday" (of Arabic origin).
Ashura f SwahiliFrom the name of an Islamic holy day that commemorates the death of
Husayn ibn Ali. It is so named because it falls on the tenth day of Muharram, deriving from Arabic
عشرة ('asharah) meaning "ten".
Awiti f LuoMeans
"thrown away" in Luo, possibly used for a child born prematurely.
Awotwi m & f AkanMeans
"eighth born child" in Akan.
Ayele m AmharicMeans
"become strong, become powerful" in Amharic.
Ayo f & m YorubaFrom Yoruba
ayọ̀ meaning
"joy", or a short form of other names containing this element.
Azubuike m IgboMeans
"the past is your strength" or
"your back is your strength" in Igbo.
Baako m & f AkanMeans
"first born child" in Akan.
Bakari m SwahiliFrom the Swahili name for the constellation Boötes.
Balarabe m HausaMeans
"born on Wednesday" in Hausa, derived from
Laraba "Wednesday".
Bello m Fula, HausaPossibly from Fula
ballo meaning
"helper". This name was borne by Muhammad Bello (1781-1837), the second leader of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Boipelo m & f TswanaMeans
"joy, rejoicing" in Tswana, from
ipela meaning "to rejoice".
Boitumelo f & m TswanaMeans
"joy" in Tswana, from
itumela meaning "to be happy".
Buhle f & m Xhosa, NdebeleFrom Xhosa and Ndebele
buhle "beautiful, handsome", from the root
hle.
Charlize f AfrikaansFeminine form of
Charles using the popular Afrikaans name suffix
ize. This name was popularized by South African actress Charlize Theron (1975-), who was named after her father Charles.
Chi 2 m & f Igbo Mythology, 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 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.
Chima m & f IgboMeans
"God knows" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
má meaning "know".
Chinwe f IgboMeans
"God possesses" in Igbo. It is also a short form of Igbo names beginning with
Chinwe.
Chinyere f IgboMeans
"God gave" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
nyè meaning "give".
Chioma f IgboMeans
"good God" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
ọ́má meaning "good, beautiful".
Chisom f & m IgboMeans
"God goes with me" in Igbo.
Chizoba f & m IgboMeans
"God continues to save" in Igbo.
Chuks m IgboDiminutive of Igbo names beginning with the element
Chukwu meaning
"God".
Dubaku m & f AkanMeans
"eleventh born child" in Akan.
Ejike m IgboMeans
"one having strength" in Igbo.
Ekene m & f IgboMeans
"thanks, gratitude" in Igbo.
Ekwueme m IgboMeans
"one says, one does" in Igbo, indicating a person who is truthful about his behaviour.
Elias m Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, English, Dutch, Greek, Amharic, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekForm of
Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek New Testament.
Enitan m & f YorubaMeans
"person with a story, storied person" in Yoruba.
Enu m & f AkanMeans
"fifth born child" in Akan.
Enzokuhle m & f Zulu, XhosaMeans
"to do good" in Zulu and Xhosa, from the roots
enza "to do" and
hle "beautiful, good".
Esi f AkanMeans
"born on Sunday" in Akan.
Fadhili m SwahiliMeans
"kindness, favour" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic.
Fadzai f ShonaFrom Shona
fadza meaning
"please, make happy".
Farai m & f ShonaFrom Shona
fara meaning
"rejoice, be happy".
Faraji m SwahiliMeans
"consolation" in Swahili (of Arabic origin).
Filbert m Eastern AfricanPossibly a form of
Philibert. It is particularly used in Tanzania due to track star Filbert Bayi (1953-), who set a world record running the 1500 meter in 1974.
Fungai m & f ShonaFrom Shona
funga meaning
"think, judge".
Furaha f SwahiliMeans
"joy, happiness" in Swahili (ultimately of Arabic origin).
Hamisu m HausaFrom Arabic
خامس (khamis) meaning
"fifth", sometimes added to a given name to indicate the fifth sibling bearing it.