Browse Names

Aamina f Arabic, Somali
Alternate transcription of Arabic آمنة (see Amina 1), as well as the Somali form.

Aaminata f Fula
Fula form of Amina 1.

Abeba f Amharic
Means "flower" in Amharic.

Abena f Akan
Means "born on Tuesday" in Akan.

Abimbola f & m Yoruba
Means "born to me with wealth" in Yoruba.

Abiola f & m Yoruba
Means "born into wealth" in Yoruba.

Adanna f Igbo
Means "eldest daughter of the father" in Igbo.

Adannaya f Igbo
Means "eldest daughter of her father" in Igbo.

Adebola m & f Yoruba
Means "the crown meets wealth" in Yoruba.

Ademola m Yoruba
Means "the crown is with wealth" in Yoruba.

Adeola f & m Yoruba
Means "the crown of wealth" in Yoruba. It is also a surname.

Adisa m & f Yoruba
Means "bundled up and set to dry" in Yoruba.

Adjoa f Akan
Variant of Adwoa.

Adwoa f Akan
Means "born on Monday" in Akan.

Afia f Akan
Variant of Afua.

Afua f Akan
Means "born on Friday" in Akan.

Aisha f Arabic, Urdu, Hausa, Swahili, Kazakh, African American
Means "living, alive" in Arabic. This was the name of Muhammad's third wife, the daughter of Abu Bakr. Some time after Muhammad's death she went to war against Ali, the fourth caliph, but was defeated. Her name is used more by Sunni Muslims and less by Shias.... [more]

Aïssa f Western African
Form of Aisha used in parts of French-influenced West Africa.

Akosua f Akan
Means "born on Sunday" in Akan.

Akua f Akan
Means "born on Wednesday" in Akan.

Alaba f & m Yoruba
Means "second child after twins" in Yoruba.

Ama f Akan
Means "born on Saturday" in Akan.

Amaka f Igbo
Short form of Chiamaka.

Amara f Igbo
Means "grace" in Igbo.

Amina 1 f Arabic, Bosnian, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Ingush, Kazakh, Urdu, Swahili, Hausa
Derived from Arabic أمن (ʾamina) meaning "safe, secure". This was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's mother, who died when he was young.

Aminata f Western African
Form of Amina 1 used in West Africa.

Asha 2 f Swahili
From Swahili ishi meaning "live, exist", derived from Arabic عاش (ʿāsha).

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 (ʿashara) meaning "ten".

Awa f Western African
Form of Hawa typical of West Africa.

Ayana 1 m Ethiopian
Meaning unknown (possibly Amharic or Oromo).

Ayanda m & f Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele
Means "they are increasing" in Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele.

Ayuba m Hausa
Hausa form of Job.

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

Bukola f Yoruba
Means "add to wealth" in Yoruba.

Chiamaka f Igbo
Means "God is more beautiful" in Igbo.

Chidimma f Igbo
Means "God is good" in Igbo.

Chidinma f Igbo
Variant of Chidimma.

Chiemeka m & f Igbo
Means "God did a greater deed" in Igbo.

Chika 1 f & m Igbo
Means "God is greater" in Igbo.

Chima m & f Igbo
Means "God knows" in Igbo, derived from Chi 2, referring to God, and má meaning "know".

Chimwala m & f Yao
Means "stone" in Yao.

Chinasa f Igbo
Means "God is answering" in Igbo.

Chinweuba m Igbo
Means "God possesses plenty" in Igbo.

Chioma f Igbo
Means "good God" in Igbo, derived from Chi 2, referring to God, and ọ́má meaning "good, beautiful".

Chizoba f & m Igbo
Means "God continues to save" in Igbo.

Chukwuebuka m Igbo
Means "God is greater" in Igbo.

Chukwuemeka m Igbo
Means "God did a greater deed" in Igbo.

Chukwuma m Igbo
Means "God knows" in Igbo (a variant of Chima using Chukwu as the first element).

Dada m & f Yoruba
Means "curly hair" in Yoruba.

Ɗanjuma m Hausa
From Hausa ɗa "son" and Jumma'a "Friday".

Daouda m Western African
Form of Dawud used in parts of French-influenced West Africa.

Desta f & m Amharic
Means "joy" in Amharic.

Dihya f Berber
Meaning unknown. This was the real name of the Berber queen Kahina.

Ebrima m Western African
Form of Ibrahim used in West Africa (Gambia).

Ebuka m Igbo
Short form of Chukwuebuka and other Igbo names ending with the same element.

Efemena m & f Urhobo
Means "here is my wealth" in Urhobo.

Efua f Akan
Variant of Afua.

Ekua f Akan
Variant of Akua.

Emeka m Igbo
Short form of Chukwuemeka and other Igbo names ending with the same element.

Eniola f & m Yoruba
Means "person of wealth" in Yoruba.

Enyinnaya m Igbo
Means "his father's friend" in Igbo.

Fatimata f Western African
Form of Fatima used in West Africa.

Fatoumata f Western African
Form of Fatima used in parts of French-influenced West Africa.

Fatuma f Eastern African
Form of Fatima used East Africa.

Fumnanya f & m Igbo
Means "love me" in Igbo.

Furaha f Swahili
Means "joy, happiness" in Swahili, borrowed from Arabic فرح (fariḥa).

Gadisa m Oromo
From Oromo gaaddisa meaning "shade".

Gbemisola f Yoruba
Means "carry me into wealth" in Yoruba.

Gudina m Oromo
Means "growth, advancement" in Oromo.

Gwandoya m Ganda
Means "met with misery" in Luganda.

Hadija f Swahili
Swahili form of Khadija.

Hadiza f Hausa
Hausa form of Khadija.

Halima f Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Hausa, Swahili
Feminine form of Halim. Halima was the name of the foster mother of the Prophet Muhammad.

Haoua f Western African
Form of Hawa used in parts of French-influenced West Africa.

Harouna m Western African
Form of Harun used in parts of West Africa.

Haruna 2 m Hausa, Fula
Hausa and Fula form of Harun.

Hauwa f Hausa
Hausa form of Hawa.

Hawa f Arabic, Swahili
Arabic form of Eve.

Ibrahima m Western African
Form of Ibrahim used in parts of West Africa.

Idrissa m Western African
Form of Idris 1 common in West Africa.

Ifa m Oromo
Means "light" in Oromo.

Ifeoma f Igbo
Means "good thing" in Igbo, derived from ífé meaning "thing" and ọ́má meaning "good, beautiful".

Ifunanya f Igbo
Means "love" in Igbo (literally "to see in one's eye").

Ijeoma f Igbo
Means "good journey" in Igbo.

Ikenna m Igbo
Means "power of the father" in Igbo.

Isingoma m Ganda
Means "first of twins" in Luganda.

Jamila f Arabic, Urdu, Hausa
Feminine form of Jamil. This was the name of a wife of the caliph Umar.

Jugurtha m Ancient Berber (Latinized), Berber
Latinized form of Berber Yugurten meaning "he surpassed them, he overcome them". Jugurtha was a 2nd-century BC king of Numidia who fought against the Roman Republic. He was eventually captured and executed in Rome.

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

Kahina f Berber
Derived from Arabic الكاهنة (al-Kāhina) 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 Comorian
From Arabic qamar meaning "moon", also the root of the name of the island country of the Comoros.

Kobina m Akan
Variant of Kwabena.

Kwabena m Akan
Means "born on Tuesday" in Akan.

Kyauta m & f Hausa
Means "gift" in Hausa.

Lassana m Western African
Form of Al-Hasan used in parts of West Africa (especially Mali).

Lelisa m Oromo
From Oromo leellisaa meaning "admirer".

Lisakhanya f & m Xhosa, Zulu
Means "still shining" in Xhosa and Zulu, from the roots sa "still, continuing" and khanya "to shine".

Maina m Kikuyu
Means "sing, dance" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations, each lasting about 30 years. The Maina generation occupied the last part of the 19th century.

Makena f & m Kikuyu
Means "happy one" in Kikuyu.

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

Mandla m Zulu, Ndebele
Means "strength, power" in Zulu and Ndebele.

Manyara f Shona
Means "you have been humbled" in Shona.

Mariama f Western African
Form of Maryam common in West Africa.

Masamba m Yao
Means "leaves, vegetables" in Yao.

Massinissa m Ancient Berber (Latinized), Berber
Latinized form of Berber Masensen meaning "their lord". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Berber chieftain. He became the first king of Numidia after allying himself with the Roman Republic against Carthage.

Mojisola f Yoruba
Means "I wake up to wealth" in Yoruba.

Monifa f Yoruba (Rare)
Means "I am lucky" in Yoruba.

Moussa m Arabic, Western African
Alternate transcription of Arabic موسى (see Musa), as well as the form commonly used in West Africa.

Moustapha m Western African
Form of Mustafa used in parts of French-influenced West Africa.

Mudiwa f & m Shona
Means "beloved, darling" in Shona.

Musa m Arabic, Turkish, Hausa, Urdu, Bengali, Indonesian, Malay
Arabic form of Moses appearing in the Quran.

Mwajuma f Swahili
Contracted form of Mwanajuma.

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

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

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

Mwenya f & m Chewa
From the Chewa word for a type of flowering tree (species Breonadia salicina).

Naa f Ga
From a Ga word used as a feminine royal title.

Nafula f Luhya
Feminine form of Wafula.

Naliaka f Luhya
Means "born during the weeding season", from Luhya liliaka meaning "weeding".

Nana 4 m & f Akan
From an Akan word used as a title of a monarch.

Nanjala f Luhya
Feminine form of Wanjala.

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

Nekesa f Luhya
Feminine form of Wekesa.

Nia 2 f Swahili, African American
Means "purpose, aim" in Swahili, borrowed from Arabic نيّة (nīya).

Njinga m & f Mbundu
Possibly 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.

Nkiruka f Igbo
Means "that to come is greater" in Igbo.

Nkosana m Xhosa
Means "prince" in Xhosa.

Nkosazana f Xhosa
Means "princess" in Xhosa.

Nkruma m & f Akan
Means "ninth born child" in Akan.

Nneka f Igbo
Means "mother is greater" in Igbo.

Nnenna f Igbo
Means "father's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's paternal grandmother.

Nomusa f Ndebele
Means "merciful" in Ndebele.

Nsia m & f Akan
Means "sixth born child" in Akan.

Nsonowa m & f Akan
Means "seventh born child" in Akan.

Nthanda m & f Tumbuka
Means "star" in Tumbuka.

Ntombizodwa f Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele
Means "only girls", from Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele intombi "girl" and zodwa "only".

Nwanneka f Igbo
Means "sibling is greater" in Igbo.

Nyambura f Kikuyu
From Kikuyu mbura meaning "rain". This is the name of one of the nine daughters of Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin legend.

Nyongesa m Luhya
Means "born on Saturday" in Luhya.

Nzinga m & f Mbundu
Variant of Njinga.

Obinna m Igbo
Means "heart of the father" in Igbo, from óbì "heart, mind" and ńnà "father".

Ogechukwukamma f Igbo (Rare)
Means "God's time is greater" in Igbo.

Ola 3 m & f Yoruba
From Yoruba ọlà meaning "wealth" or the related ọlá meaning "honour, respect". It is also a short form of names containing those elements.

Olayinka f & m Yoruba
Means "wealth surrounds me" in Yoruba.

Olufunmilola f Yoruba
Means "God gives me wealth" in Yoruba.

Olusola m & f Yoruba
Means "God makes wealth" in Yoruba.

Oluwakanyinsola f Yoruba (Rare)
Means "God has dropped honey into wealth" in Yoruba.

Omolara f Yoruba
Means "child is family" in Yoruba.

Onalerona f & m Tswana, Sotho
Means "he is with us" in Tswana and Sotho.

Onyeka m & f Igbo
Short form of Onyekachi.

Palesa f Sotho
Means "flower" in Sotho.

Proscovia f Eastern African
Meaning uncertain, possibly related to Praskovya. It is mainly used in Uganda.

Rakiya f Hausa
Hausa form of Ruqayya.

Rehema f Swahili
Means "mercy, compassion" in Swahili, from Arabic رحْمة (raḥma).

Retha f Afrikaans, English
Short form of Margaretha.

Safiya f Hausa, Kazakh, Arabic
Hausa and Kazakh form of Safiyya. It is also an alternate transcription of the Arabic name.

Sara f Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Arabic, Persian, Amharic, Tigrinya, Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Latin
Form of Sarah used in various languages.

Sauda f Swahili
Meaning uncertain, possibly a variant of Sawda.

Scovia f Eastern African
Short form of Proscovia, mainly used in Uganda.

Sethunya f Tswana
Means "bloom, flower" in Tswana, derived from thunya "to bloom".

Simba 1 m Shona
Means "power, strength" in Shona.

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.

Simisola f Yoruba
Means "rest in wealth" in Yoruba.

Siyabonga m Zulu, Ndebele
Means "we thank you" in Zulu and Ndebele.

Subira f Swahili
Means "patience" in Swahili, from Arabic صبر (ṣabara).

Tadala f Chewa
Means "we have been blessed" in Chewa.

Tafadzwa m & f Shona
Means "we are pleased" in Shona, from fadza meaning "please, make happy".

Takondwa m & f Chewa
Means "we are glad" in Chewa.

Tanina f Berber
From the name of a legendary bird, similar to an eagle or a phoenix.

Taonga f & m Tumbuka
Means "we are thankful" in Tumbuka.

Tapiwa f Shona
Means "given" in Shona.

Tatenda m & f Shona
Means "thank you" in Shona, from tenda meaning "thank".

Thandeka f Zulu, Ndebele
Means "loved" in Zulu and Ndebele.

Thanina f Berber
Variant of Tanina.

Thema f Akan
Means "queen" in Akan.

Themba m Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele
Means "trust, hope" in Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele.

Tichaona m Shona
Means "we will see" from Shona ticha "we will" and ona "see".

Uchenna m & f Igbo
Means "wisdom of the father, sense of the father" in Igbo.

Ufuoma m & f Urhobo
Means "peace of mind" in Urhobo.

Uzoma m & f Igbo
Means "good way" in Igbo.

Wafula m Luhya
Means "born during the rainy season", from Luhya ifula meaning "rainy season".

Wamalwa m Luhya
Means "born during the brewing season" in Luhya.

Wanangwa m & f Tumbuka
Means "freedom" in Tumbuka.

Wanjala m Luhya
Means "born during famine", from Luhya injala meaning "hunger, famine".

Wasswa m Ganda
Means "first of twins" in Luganda.

Wekesa m Luhya
Means "born during harvest" in Luhya.

Xafsa f Somali
Somali form of Hafsa.

Xaliima f Somali
Somali form of Halima.

Yaa f Akan
Means "born on Thursday" in Akan.

Yacouba m Western African
Form of Yaqub used in parts of French-influenced West Africa.

Yalwa f & m Hausa
Means "abundance" in Hausa.

Zephania m Southern African, Eastern African
Variant of Zephaniah. This form of the name appears to be used in southern and eastern Africa.

Zodwa f Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele
Short form of Ntombizodwa.

Zola 2 f & m Xhosa
From the Xhosa root -zola meaning "calm".

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