Swahili Origin Names - Behind the Name

Asha 2 f Swahili
From Swahili ishi meaning "live, exist".

Ashura f Swahili
From 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".

Bahati f & m Swahili
Means "luck, good fortune" in Swahili.

Bakari m Swahili
From the Swahili name for the constellation Boötes.

Baraka m Swahili
Means "blessing" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic بركة (barakah).

Chausiku f Swahili
Means "born at night" in Swahili.

Eshe f Swahili
Variant of Asha 2.

Fadhili m Swahili
Means "kindness, favour" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic.

Faraji m Swahili
Means "consolation" in Swahili (of Arabic origin).

Furaha f Swahili
Means "joy, happiness" in Swahili (ultimately of Arabic origin).

Hamisi m Swahili
From Swahili Alhamisi meaning "Thursday".

Imamu m Swahili
Means "spiritual leader" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic إمام (imam).

Imani f & m Swahili, African American
Means "faith" in Swahili, ultimately of Arabic origin.

Jengo m Swahili (Rare)
Means "building" in Swahili.

Juma m Arabic, Pashto, Swahili
Means "Friday" or "week" in Arabic.

Jumanne m Swahili
Means "Tuesday" in Swahili.

Malaika f Swahili
Means "angel" in Swahili, derived from Arabic ملك (malak).

Marijani m Swahili
Means "coral" in Swahili, originally a borrowing from Arabic.

Mosi f & m Swahili
Means "first (child)" in Swahili.

Mwajuma f Swahili
Contracted form of Mwanajuma.

Mwanahamisi f Swahili
Means "child born on Thursday" in Swahili.

Mwanahawa f Swahili
Combination of Swahili mwana meaning "child" and the name Hawa.

Mwanaidi f Swahili
Means "child born during the festival" in Swahili.

Mwanaisha f Swahili
Combination of Swahili mwana meaning "child" and the name Aisha.

Mwanajuma f Swahili
Means "child born on Friday" in Swahili.

Naya f African American (Modern)
Variant of Nia 2, probably modelled on Maya 2. It was borne by the actress Naya Rivera (1987-2020).

Neema f Swahili
Means "divine grace" in Swahili, from Arabic نعمة (ni'mah) meaning "blessing".

Nia 2 f Swahili, African American
Means "purpose, aim" in Swahili.

Nuru f Swahili
Means "light" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic نور (nur).

Nyah f English (Modern)
Meaning unknown, possibly a variant of Nia 2 or Nia 3. This name briefly entered the American popularity charts after it was featured in the movie Mission: Impossible 2 (2000).

Pendo f Swahili
Variant of Upendo.

Pili 2 f Swahili
Means "second (child)" in Swahili.

Rajabu m Swahili
Swahili form of Rajab.

Ramadhani m Swahili
Swahili form of Ramadan.

Rehema f Swahili
Means "mercy, compassion" in Swahili, from Arabic رحمة (rahmah).

Shabani m Swahili
Swahili form of Shaban.

Simba 2 m Swahili
Means "lion" in Swahili. This is the name of the main character in the Disney movie The Lion King (1994), about a lion cub who exiles himself after his father is murdered.

Subira f Swahili
Means "patience" in Swahili.

Tatu 2 f Swahili
Means "third (child)" in Swahili.

Tumaini f & m Swahili
Means "wish, hope" in Swahili.

Uhuru m Swahili
Means "freedom" in Swahili.

Upendo f Swahili
Means "love" in Swahili.

Zawadi f & m Swahili
Means "gift" in Swahili.

Zuhura f Swahili, Dhivehi
Means "Venus (planet)" in Swahili and Dhivehi. Both are borrowed from Arabic الزهرة (al-Zuharah), derived from the root زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".

Zuri f Swahili
Means "beautiful" in Swahili.

Usage	clear
Language	clear
Place	clear

Initial	clear
Start	clear
End	clear
Substring	clear
Pattern	clear help?
the letters in the pattern are compared to the letters in the name * is a wildcard that matches zero or more letters example: oo matches names which contain oo _ is a wildcard that matches exactly one letter example: __z matches names which have two letters and then z

Meaning	clear help?
	expand search to include grammatical forms
	expand search to include close synonyms
	expand search to include subclasses
	expand search to related names
separate search terms with spaces search for an exact phrase by surrounding it with double quotes this field understands simple boolean logic force a term to be included by preceding it with a + sign force a term to be excluded by preceding it with a - sign expand search to include grammatical forms: attempt to include grammatical forms of the meanings example: speak includes spoke expand search to include close synonyms: attempt to include synonyms of the meanings example: brave includes courageous expand search to include search narrower synonyms: attempt to include subclasses of the meanings example: reptile includes turtle expand search to related names: allow related names to inherit the meaning of the main form
Description	clear help?
	ignore name meanings
the description is the meaning and history write-up for the name separate search terms with spaces search for an exact phrase by surrounding it with double quotes example: "lord of the rings" matches names from the novel 'The Lord of the Rings' this field understands simple boolean logic force a term to be included by preceding it with a + sign force a term to be excluded by preceding it with a - sign example: +greek +(legend myth) -zeus matches Greek names of myths or legends not about Zeus ignore name meanings: keywords from the name meanings are ignored

Pronunciation	clear help?
	case sensitive
see the pronunciation key for a guide on how to write the sounds sounds can only be searched in names that have been assigned pronunciations * is a wildcard that will match zero or more letters in the pronunciation example: lee matches names which end with the sound lee* _ is a wildcard that will match exactly one letter in the pronunciation example: __z matches names which have two letters and then a z (s) matches exactly one syllable in the pronunciation example: (s)(s)ra matches names which have two syllables and then the sound rah (c) matches a consonant (k) matches a consonant or consonant cluster (v) matches a vowel (p) matches a plosive or stop consonant (f) matches a fricative consonant (n) matches a nasal consonant case sensitive: check this if you wish distinguish between unstressed lowercase sounds and stressed uppercase sounds
Syllables	clear help?
syllables can only be counted in names that have been assigned pronunciations names without pronunciations are excluded from results

Related name	clear
Relationship	clear help?
	expand search to ancestral names
the "relationship" is how the name relates to its parent name example: searching for diminutive matches Betsy because it is a diminutive of its parent Elizabeth selecting *(all core forms)* excludes peripheral forms such as diminutives, short forms, and combinations expand search to ancestral names: relationships between names further up the family tree are included

Impression	clear help?
name impressions are based on the ratings left by the behindthename.com community
Impression	clear help?
name impressions are based on the ratings left by the behindthename.com community
Impression	clear help?
name impressions are based on the ratings left by the behindthename.com community

List	clear
Year	clear
Rank	clear

Country	clear
Month	clear
Day	clear

Sort	clear
Display	clear