Adaeze f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of the king" in Igbo.
Amina 1 f Arabic, Bosnian, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Ingush, Kazakh, Urdu, Swahili, HausaDerived from Arabic
أمن (ʾamina) meaning
"safe, secure". This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's mother, who died when he was young.
Okafor m IgboMeans
"boy (born on) Afor" in Igbo,
Afor being one of the four days of the Igbo week.
Nana 4 m & f AkanFrom an Akan word used as a title of a monarch.
Kwaku m AkanMeans
"born on Wednesday" in Akan.
Mumbi f KikuyuMeans
"she who shapes" in Kikuyu. In Kikuyu mythology Mumbi was the wife of Gikuyu and the mother of his nine daughters.
Opeyemi f & m YorubaMeans
"gratitude is suitable for me" in Yoruba.
Ekwueme m IgboMeans
"one says, one does" in Igbo, indicating a person who is truthful about his behaviour.
Maina m KikuyuMeans
"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.
Umar m Arabic, Urdu, Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Indonesian, HausaMeans
"flourishing, living long" in Arabic, related to Arabic
عمر (ʿumr) meaning "life". Umar was a companion and strong supporter of the Prophet
Muhammad who became the second caliph of the Muslims. He is considered to be one of the great founders of the Muslim state. The name was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Persia, Umar Khayyam.
Okorie m IgboMeans
"boy (born on) Orie" in Igbo,
Orie being one of the four days of the Igbo week.
Zola 2 f & m XhosaFrom the Xhosa root
-zola meaning
"calm".
Wangari f KikuyuFrom Kikuyu
ngarĩ meaning
"leopard". In the Kikuyu origin legend this is the name of one of the nine daughters of
Mumbi.
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.
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.
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.
Chuks m IgboDiminutive of Igbo names beginning with the element
Chukwu meaning
"God".
Kwame m AkanMeans
"born on Saturday" in Akan.
Tichaona m ShonaMeans
"we will see" from Shona
ticha "we will" and
ona "see".
Ladi f HausaFrom Hausa
Lahadi meaning
"Sunday" (of Arabic origin).
Omondi m LuoMeans
"born early in the morning" in Luo.
Tambudzai f ShonaFrom Shona
tambudza meaning
"make trouble, frustrate".
Akli m BerberMeans
"slave, servant, black" in Tamazight.
Nneka f IgboMeans
"mother is greater" in Igbo.
Rabiu m HausaFrom Arabic
رابع (rābiʿ) meaning
"fourth", a derivative of
أربعة (ʾarbaʿa) meaning "four". It is sometimes added to a given name to indicate the fourth sibling bearing it.
Dubaku m & f AkanMeans
"eleventh born child" in Akan.
Itai 2 m & f ShonaFrom Shona
ita meaning
"do, act, perform".
Fungai m & f ShonaFrom Shona
funga meaning
"think, judge".
Elias m Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, English, Dutch, Greek, Amharic, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekForm of
Elijah used in several languages. This is also the form used in the Greek New Testament, as well as some English translations.
Balarabe m HausaMeans
"born on Wednesday" in Hausa, derived from
Laraba "Wednesday", from Arabic
الأربعاء (al-ʾarbiʿāʾ), itself derived from
أربعة (ʾarbaʿa) meaning "four".
Wanjala m LuhyaMeans
"born during famine", from Luhya
injala meaning "hunger, famine".
Chisom f & m IgboMeans
"God goes with me" in Igbo.
Kato m GandaMeans
"second of twins" in Luganda.
Jugurtha m Ancient Berber (Latinized), BerberLatinized form of Berber
Yugurten meaning
"he surpassed them, he overcame them". Jugurtha was a 2nd-century BC king of Numidia who fought against the Roman Republic. He was eventually captured and executed in Rome.
Tau m Tswana, SothoMeans
"lion" in Tswana and Sotho. Tau was the name of the last ruler of the Rolong in South Africa (18th century).
Lovemore m Southern AfricanFrom the English words
love and
more. This name is most common in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in the south of Africa.
Okeke m IgboMeans
"boy (born on) Eke" in Igbo,
Eke being one of the four days of the Igbo week.
Anan 1 m & f AkanMeans
"fourth born child" in Akan.
Chinwe f IgboMeans
"God possesses" in Igbo. It is also a short form of Igbo names beginning with
Chinwe.
Enu m & f AkanMeans
"fifth born child" in Akan.
Ifunanya f IgboMeans
"love" in Igbo (literally "to see in one's eye").
Nomthandazo f Zulu, XhosaFrom the Zulu and Xhosa feminine prefix
no- combined with
umthandazo "prayer".
Kehinde m & f YorubaMeans
"comes last" in Yoruba. It is typically given to the second of twins.
Tunde m YorubaMeans
"return, come again" in Yoruba, also a short form of names containing that element.
Chima m & f IgboMeans
"God knows" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
má meaning "know".
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".
Naa f GaFrom a Ga word used as a feminine royal title.
Yaa f AkanMeans
"born on Thursday" in Akan.
Adanna f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of the father" in Igbo.
Chizoba f & m IgboMeans
"God continues to save" in Igbo.
Tafari m Amharic (Rare)Possibly means
"he who inspires awe" in Amharic. This name was borne by Lij Tafari Makonnen (1892-1975), also known as Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafarians (
Ras Tafari meaning "king Tafari") revere him as the earthly incarnation of God.
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 LatinForm of
Sarah used in various languages.
Tafadzwa m & f ShonaMeans
"we are pleased" in Shona, from
fadza meaning "please, make happy".
Zuhura f Swahili, DhivehiMeans
"Venus (planet)" in Swahili and Dhivehi. Both are borrowed from Arabic
الزهرة (al-Zuhara), derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
Ade 1 m & f YorubaFrom Yoruba
adé meaning
"crown", also a short form of other names beginning with this element.
Hamisu m HausaFrom Arabic
خامس (khāmis) meaning
"fifth", a derivative of
خمسة (khamsa) meaning "five". It is sometimes added to a given name to indicate the fifth sibling bearing it.
Tinashe m & f ShonaMeans
"we are with God", from Shona
ti "we",
na "with" and
ishe "lord, God".
Minenhle f & m ZuluFrom Zulu
imini "day" and
hle "beautiful".
Kelebogile f & m TswanaMeans
"I am thankful" in Tswana, derived from
leboga "to be thankful, to thank".
Keitumetse f & m TswanaMeans
"I am happy" in Tswana, from
itumetse meaning "happy".
Fadhili m SwahiliMeans
"kindness, favour" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic.
Nnenna f IgboMeans
"father's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's paternal grandmother.
Taiwo m & f YorubaMeans
"taste the world, taste life" in Yoruba.
Abeni f YorubaMeans
"we prayed and we received" in Yoruba.
Awiti f LuoMeans
"thrown away" in Luo, possibly used for a child born prematurely.
Afua f AkanMeans
"born on Friday" in Akan.
Wambui f KikuyuMeans
"zebra" in Kikuyu. This is one of
Mumbi's nine daughters in the Kikuyu origin legend.
Netsai f ShonaFrom Shona
netsa meaning
"trouble, annoy, bother".
Yewubdar f AmharicMeans
"beautiful beyond limits" from Amharic
ውብ (wb) meaning "beautiful" and
ዳር (dar) meaning "limit, horizon, frontier, shore".
Chioma f IgboMeans
"good God" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
ọ́má meaning "good, beautiful".
Adeola f & m YorubaMeans
"the crown of wealth" in Yoruba. It is also a surname.