Dubaku m & f AkanMeans
"eleventh born child" in Akan.
Kwaku m AkanMeans
"born on Wednesday" in Akan.
Enitan m & f YorubaMeans
"person with a story, storied person" in Yoruba.
Wangui f KikuyuFrom Kikuyu
ngũi meaning
"song leader". This is one of
Mumbi's nine daughters in the Kikuyu origin legend.
Kamaria f ComorianFrom Arabic
qamar meaning
"moon", also the root of the name of the island country of the Comoros.
Taiwo m & f YorubaMeans
"taste the world, taste life" in Yoruba.
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.
Mumbi f KikuyuMeans
"she who shapes" in Kikuyu. In Kikuyu mythology Mumbi was the wife of Gikuyu and the mother of his nine daughters.
Balarabe m HausaMeans
"born on Wednesday" in Hausa, derived from
Laraba "Wednesday", from Arabic
الأربعاء (al-ʾarbiʿāʾ), itself derived from
أربعة (ʾarbaʿa) meaning "four".
Akinyi f LuoMeans
"born in the morning" in Luo.
Lethokuhle f & m Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"bring goodness" in Zulu and Xhosa, from the roots
letha "to bring" and
hle "beautiful, good".
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.
Nonkululeko f Zulu, XhosaFrom the Zulu and Xhosa feminine prefix
no- combined with
inkululeko "freedom".
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 (ʿashara) meaning "ten".
Wanjiru f KikuyuPossibly from Kikuyu
njĩra meaning
"way, path". In the Kikuyu origin legend this is the name of one of the nine daughters of
Mumbi.
Opeyemi f & m YorubaMeans
"gratitude is suitable for me" in Yoruba.
Amogelang m & f TswanaDerived from Tswana
amogela meaning
"welcome, accept".
Salisu m HausaFrom Arabic
ثالث (thālith) meaning
"third", sometimes added to a shared given name to indicate the third sibling bearing it.
Nyambura f KikuyuFrom Kikuyu
mbura meaning
"rain". This is the name of one of the nine daughters of
Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin legend.
Adisa m & f YorubaMeans
"bundled up and set to dry" in Yoruba.
Enu m & f AkanMeans
"fifth born child" in Akan.
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.
Wangari f KikuyuFrom Kikuyu
ngarĩ meaning
"leopard". In the Kikuyu origin legend this is the name of one of the nine daughters of
Mumbi.
Sethunya f TswanaMeans
"bloom, flower" in Tswana, derived from
thunya "to bloom".
Lovemore m Southern AfricanFrom the English words
love and
more. This name is most common in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in the south of Africa.
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.
Chinyere f IgboMeans
"God gave" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
nyè meaning "give".
Shehu m HausaFrom Arabic
شيخ (shaykh) meaning
"elder, chief, sheikh", a title of Usman dan Fodio (1754-1817), the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Amahle m & f ZuluMeans
"the beautiful ones" in Zulu.
Chuks m IgboDiminutive of Igbo names beginning with the element
Chukwu meaning
"God".
Munyaradzi m ShonaMeans
"comforter, consoler" in Shona, from
nyaradza "to make quiet, to console".
Ibrahim m Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, Pashto, Urdu, Kazakh, Tatar, Bashkir, Avar, Bosnian, Dhivehi, Albanian, Hausa, SwahiliArabic form of
Abraham, also used in several other languages. This form appears in the Quran.
Alaba f & m YorubaMeans
"second child after twins" in Yoruba.
Nomthandazo f Zulu, XhosaFrom the Zulu and Xhosa feminine prefix
no- combined with
umthandazo "prayer".
Akli m BerberMeans
"slave, servant, black" in Tamazight.
Naa f GaFrom a Ga word used as a feminine royal title.
Kelebogile f & m TswanaMeans
"I am thankful" in Tswana, derived from
leboga "to be thankful, to thank".
Afua f AkanMeans
"born on Friday" in Akan.
Boipelo m & f TswanaMeans
"joy, rejoicing" in Tswana, from
ipela meaning "to rejoice".
Nnenne f IgboMeans
"mother's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's maternal grandmother.
Tatenda m & f ShonaMeans
"thank you" in Shona, from
tenda meaning "thank".
Nnenna f IgboMeans
"father's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's paternal grandmother.
Yaw m AkanMeans
"born on Thursday" in Akan.
Olu m YorubaShort form of Yoruba names beginning with
olú or
olúwa meaning
"lord, God".
Buhle f & m Xhosa, NdebeleFrom Xhosa and Ndebele
buhle "beautiful, handsome", from the root
hle.
Ugochi f IgboMeans
"eagle of God" in Igbo, from
ùgó meaning "eagle, honour" and
Chi 2, referring to God.
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.
Mpho m & f Tswana, SothoMeans
"gift" in Tswana and Sotho, a derivative of
fa "to offer".
Zola 2 f & m XhosaFrom the Xhosa root
-zola meaning
"calm".