Abidemi m & f YorubaMeans
"born in my absence" in Yoruba. It is typically given to children born when the father is away.
Ade 1 m & f YorubaFrom Yoruba
adé meaning
"crown", also a short form of other names beginning with this element.
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.
Alaba f & m YorubaMeans
"second child after twins" in Yoruba.
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.
Awotwi m & f AkanMeans
"eighth born child" in Akan.
Ayo f & m YorubaFrom Yoruba
ayọ̀ meaning
"joy", or a short form of other names containing this element.
Baako m & f AkanMeans
"first born child" in Akan.
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.
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".
Chisom f & m IgboMeans
"God goes with me" in Igbo.
Chizoba f & m IgboMeans
"God continues to save" in Igbo.
Dubaku m & f AkanMeans
"eleventh born child" in Akan.
Ekene m & f IgboMeans
"thanks, gratitude" in Igbo.
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".
Farai m & f ShonaFrom Shona
fara meaning
"rejoice, be happy".
Fungai m & f ShonaFrom Shona
funga meaning
"think, judge".
Ige f & m YorubaMeans
"born feet first" in Yoruba.
Itai 2 m & f ShonaFrom Shona
ita meaning
"do, act, perform".
Itumeleng m & f TswanaMeans
"be happy" in Tswana, from
itumela meaning "to be happy".
Kefilwe m & f TswanaMeans
"I was given" in Tswana, derived from
filwe "given".
Kehinde m & f YorubaMeans
"comes last" in Yoruba. It is typically given to the second of twins.
Keitumetse f & m TswanaMeans
"I am happy" in Tswana, from
itumetse meaning "happy".
Kelebogile f & m TswanaMeans
"I am thankful" in Tswana, derived from
leboga "to be thankful, to thank".
Lesego m & f TswanaMeans
"luck, blessing" in Tswana, from
sego "blessed".
Lethokuhle f & m Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"bring goodness" in Zulu and Xhosa, from the roots
letha "to bring" and
hle "beautiful, good".
Lisakhanya f & m Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"still shining" in Xhosa and Zulu, from the roots
sa "still, continuing" and
khanya "to shine".
Lubanzi m & f Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"it is wide" in Xhosa and Zulu, from the phrase
uthando lubanzi "love is wide".
Melokuhle f & m Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"stand for goodness" in Zulu and Xhosa, from the roots
mela "to stand for, to represent" and
hle "beautiful, good".
Minenhle f & m ZuluFrom Zulu
imini "day" and
hle "beautiful".
Mpho m & f Tswana, SothoMeans
"gift" in Tswana and Sotho, a derivative of
fa "to offer".
Munashe m & f ShonaMeans
"with God" in Shona, derived from
ishe meaning "lord, God".
Mwenya f & m ChewaFrom the Chewa word for a type of flowering tree (species Breonadia salicina).
Nana 4 m & f AkanFrom an Akan word used as a title of a monarch.
Neo 1 f & m TswanaMeans
"gift" in Tswana, a derivative of
naya "to give".
Njinga m & f MbunduPossibly from a Bantu root meaning
"to twist, to wrap" (
kujinga in Kimbundu), alluding to the wrapping of the umbilical cord around the neck of the newborn. This name was borne by kings and queens of the African kingdoms of Ndongo and Kongo, notably a 17th-century queen of Ndongo who resisted the Portuguese.
Nkruma m & f AkanMeans
"ninth born child" in Akan.
Nqobile f & m ZuluMeans
"they conquered" in Zulu, from
nqoba "to conquer".
Nsia m & f AkanMeans
"sixth born child" in Akan.
Obi m & f IgboMeans
"heart" in Igbo.
Okuhle f & m Zulu, XhosaMeans
"that which is beautiful, that which is good" in Zulu and Xhosa.
Ola 3 m & f YorubaFrom Yoruba
ọlà meaning
"wealth" or the related
ọlá meaning
"honour, respect". It is also a short form of names containing those elements.
Opeyemi f & m YorubaMeans
"gratitude is suitable for me" in Yoruba.
Refilwe m & f TswanaMeans
"we were given" in Tswana, derived from
filwe "given".
Tafadzwa m & f ShonaMeans
"we are pleased" in Shona, from
fadza meaning "please, make happy".
Taiwo m & f YorubaMeans
"taste the world, taste life" in Yoruba.
Tatenda m & f ShonaMeans
"thank you" in Shona, from
tenda meaning "thank".
Tendai m & f ShonaFrom Shona
tenda meaning
"be thankful, thank".
Tinashe m & f ShonaMeans
"we are with God", from Shona
ti "we",
na "with" and
ishe "lord, God".
Tumaini f & m SwahiliMeans
"wish, hope" in Swahili, from Arabic
طمع (ṭamiʿa) meaning "to desire".
Uche m & f IgboMeans
"wisdom, sense, mind" in Igbo.
Uchenna m & f IgboMeans
"wisdom of the father, sense of the father" in Igbo.
Unathi m & f XhosaMeans
"he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix
u- meaning "he, she" and
nathi meaning "with us".
Zanokuhle f & m Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"come with goodness" in Zulu and Xhosa, from the roots
za "to come, to approach" and
hle "beautiful, good".
Zawadi f & m SwahiliMeans
"gift" in Swahili, derived from Arabic
زواد (zawād) meaning "provisions".
Zikomo m & f ChewaMeans
"thank you, greeting" in Chewa.
Zola 2 f & m XhosaFrom the Xhosa root
-zola meaning
"calm".