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.
Ala 2 f Igbo MythologyMeans
"earth, land" in Igbo. In traditional Igbo religion Ala (called
Ani or
Ana in other dialects) is an earth goddess associated with fertility and ancestors.
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.
Amadioha m Igbo MythologyDerived from Igbo
àmádí "freeborn man" and
ọ̀hà "community, people". The is the name of the god of thunder and lightning in traditional Igbo belief.
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.
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".
Chukwu m Igbo MythologyMeans
"the great god", derived from Igbo
chi "god, spiritual being" and
úkwú "great". In traditional Igbo belief Chukwu is the supreme deity and the creator the universe. Christian Igbo people use this name to refer to the Christian 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.
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).
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.
Iemanjá f Afro-American MythologyPortuguese form of
Yemọja, used in Brazil by adherents of Candomblé. She is identified with Our Lady of Immaculate Conception as well as other aspects of the Virgin
Mary.
Ifeoma f IgboMeans
"good thing" in Igbo, derived from
ífé meaning "thing" and
ọ́má meaning "good, beautiful".
Ifunanya f IgboMeans
"love" in Igbo (literally "to see in one's eye").
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".
Jatau m HausaMeans
"fair-coloured, light" in Hausa.
Jummai f HausaFrom Hausa
Jumma'a meaning
"Friday" (of Arabic origin).
Kahina f BerberDerived from Arabic
الكاهِنة (al-Kahinah) meaning
"the diviner, the fortuneteller". This was a title applied to the 7th-century Berber queen Dihya, who resisted the Arab expansion into North Africa.
Kamaria f ComorianFrom Arabic
qamar meaning
"moon", also the root of the name of the island country of the Comoros.
Kamau m KikuyuMeaning unknown. This was the birth name of the Kenyan president Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978).
Kato m GandaMeans
"second of twins" in Luganda.
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.
Kelebogile f & m TswanaMeans
"I am thankful" in Tswana, derived from
leboga "to be thankful, to thank".
Kenya f English, African AmericanFrom the name of the African country. The country is named for Mount Kenya, which in the Kikuyu language is called
Kĩrĩnyaga meaning "the one having stripes". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 1960s.
Kenyatta m & f African AmericanFrom a surname used by the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978). He adopted the surname in his youth, supposedly from a type of ornamental belt worn by the Maasai people.
Kofi m AkanMeans
"born on Friday" in Akan.