This is a list of submitted names in which the usage is African; and the description contains the keywords god or of or mercy.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Aare m YorubaMeans "commander" in Yoruba. Aàrẹ is a title, usually in the military of the Yoruba warriors company. The leader of the company from a clan takes the title when they join up with a coalition.
Aba f AkanMeans "born on Thursday" in Fante, a dialect of Akan.
Abagbe f NigerianThe meaning of Abagbe is we begged to have this one to lift up
Abarahama m ShonaMeans "one who has birthed or fathered relatives", derived from Shona
kubara "to bear offspring, to bud" and
hama "relatives". This is the Shona equivalent of
Abraham.
Abasiama m & f Ibibio, EfikMeans "it is God that loves" or "God's love" in Ibibio and Efik.
Abayomi m & f YorubaMeans "he came to bring me joy and happiness" or "I would have been mocked" in Yoruba. It is a name given to a child born after a number of unfortunate or near unfortunate circumstances. It is often called in full as Àbáyòmí Olúwaniòjé meaning "I would have been mocked, if not for God".
Abdu m SwahiliAbdu is a name of Swahili origin meaning worshipper of God and the vowel at the end makes it sound like Abdul
Abeiku m AkanMeans "born on Wednesday" in Fante, a dialect of Akan.
Aboderin m YorubaMeans "one who walks in the company of hunters" in Yoruba.
Abuk f African Mythology, DinkaIn Dinka mythology (south Sudan), the first woman. She is the patron goddess of women and gardens. Her emblem is a little snake. She is the mother of
Deng (
Danka).
Aburu m DagbaniOne of the royal gates of Dagbong Kingdom denoting "Corrupted name of Abdulai"
Abush m OromoMeans, 'little boy' often used to denote the youngest child of a family.
Achan f DinkaMeans "female child in the first pair of twins" in Dinka.
Achike m IgboMeans "take the things of the world easy" in Igbo.
Achiko m & f ShonaA shorter form of the name
Achiriko, meaning "one who remained" or "one who is still there".
Adakole m & f IdomaIdoma name meaning "father of the house", "head of family", or "head of the home". This name is usually given to the firstborn male or female child in Idoma households.
Adaku f IgboMeans "daughter of wealth" in Igbo.
Adebisi f YorubaMeans "the crown has given birth to more" in Yoruba. This is the name of the (Nigerian) mother of British musician Seal Samuel.
Adeiza f NigerianName of Nigerian origin, meaning "giver (father) of good things" or "giver (father) of wealth".
Adeoye m Western African, YorubaFrom Yoruba adé oyè, which literally means "the crown of chieftancy", and is understood to mean "the crown given to me to celebrate my acquired chieftaincy title".
Adesuwa f EdoMeans "in the midst of prosperity" in Edo.
Adiwa f ShonaMeaning "one who is beloved or desired", a longer form of the name can be
Adiwanashe, deriving from the verb
kudiwa.
Adjoua f BaouléDerived from Baoulé
jɔlɛ "Tuesday", referring to the day of the week on which the child was born and hence to be understood as "born on Tuesday".
Ado m & f YorubaPossibly derived from Yoruba
ádò meaning "medicine gourd". This is also the name of two cities in Nigeria, both with different etymology.
Adole m IdomaMeans "father of the house" in Idoma.
Adongo m & f LuoMeans "second of the twins" in Luo.
Afafa f EweMeans "the first child of the second husband" in Ewe.
Afeworq m AmharicMeans "mouth of gold" from Amharic አፍ
(ʾäf) "mouth" and ወርቅ
(wark) "gold".
Affoué f BaouléDerived from Baoulé
fue "Saturday", referring to the day of the week on which the child was born and hence to be understood as "born on Saturday".
Aganjusola m Yoruba Mythology, Yoruba (Rare)Means "the one with the stiff face makes honor" in Yoruba. According to Yoruba tradition, this is the name of a warrior king deified after his death, said to fight by shooting fire. He is associated with wilderness, the desert, and volcanoes... [
more]
Agbaakin m YorubaMeans "elderly warrior" or "most senior of the brave ones" in Yoruba, from
àgbà "elder, adult" and
akin "bravery, valour; a brave person, warrior".
Agemo m Yoruba Mythology, Yoruba (Rare)In Yoruba mythology, Agemo is a chameleon who is the messenger of the gods. He is the main deity of the Ijebu people, as he is believed to protect children and safeguard the future of Ijebu people through his blessing.
Ahoefa f Ewe, AfricanName of Ewa origin, meaning "peaceful" or "bringer of peace".
Ahou f BaouléDerived from Baoulé
we "Thursday", referring to the day of the week on which the child was born and hence to be understood as "born on Thursday".
Aidevo f YorubaMeans "no one can change my destiny but God" in Yoruba.
Aika f ChagaAika is derived from Aikambe/Aikamai meaning thank you the Chagga language spoken by the Chagga people of the Mt. Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. ... [
more]
Ainose f & m EsanMeans "no one is greater than God" in Esan.
Ajadi m YorubaMeans "ends conflict" or "end of a conflict" in Yoruba.
Aje f & m Yoruba Mythology, YorubaMeans "wealth, money, profit" in Yoruba. This is the name of a goddess of wealth, prosperity, and business in Yoruba tradition.
Akahlulwa m & f Xhosa (Modern)Means "undefeated, unbeatable", possibly taken from the title of the gospel song ‘Akahlulwa lutho uuJesu’.
Akime m Western AfricanMeans "My son has arrived." in celebration of a son being born from the Gur language elements “Aki-” meaning "he has arrived" and the suffix -me meaning “child”.
Akinfela m YorubaMeans "bravery expands the coast of wealth" in Yoruba.
Akissi f BaouléDerived from Baoulé
kisie "Monday", referring to the day of the week on which the child was born and hence to be understood as "born on Monday".
Akoma m & f Central African, African MythologyAkoma is the creator god of Pahuin mythology. His name Means “creator” in Pahuin, a common language in parts of São Tomé and Principe, southern Cameroon, much of northern Gabon, and mainland Equatorial Guinea.
Akomo f Luo"someone delivered during planting or prosperous times of the year"
Akosia f Western African, AkanA name of Ashanti origin meaning "born on a Sunday" in Akan culture. Notable name bearers include actor Akosia Sabet and mononymic musician Akosia.
Akosua is a variation of this name.
Akoth f LuoFeminine of Okoth, meaning born while it was raining
Akpomofa f & m IjawMeans "the world is not as you think of it" in Ijaw.
Alabi m & f YorubaMeans "born of the white cloth, born of purity" in Yoruba, from
ala "white cloth, purity" and
bí "to give birth, be born".
Alaere f IjawMeans "queen, woman of substance" in Ijaw.
Alara m Yoruba, HistoryPossibly from the title of the traditional monarch of either
Ìlárá-Mọ̀kín or
Ará-Èkìtì, from Yoruba
oni-, a possessive forming prefix, and either
Ìlárá "the ones who possess many relatives” or
Ará, of unknown etymology... [
more]
Alatari m & f IjawMeans "king's love" or "love of royalty" in Ijaw.
Alouette f English (Modern, Rare), Dutch (Rare), Afrikaans (Rare), Spanish (Mexican, Rare)Derived from French
alouette "lark, skylark".
Alouette is a popular Quebecois children's song, commonly thought to be about plucking the feathers from a lark. Although it is in French, it is well known among speakers of other languages as many US Marines and other Allied soldiers learned the song while serving in France during World War I and took it home with them, passing it on to their children and grandchildren.... [
more]
Amadika f AfricanIs of African-Rhodesia origin and means "to be beloved".
Amari m African, Yoruba, Western AfricanA noted bearer was a Damel of Cayor, Amari Ngoné Ndella, who ruled from 1790 AD to 1809 AD. The Kingdom of Cayor was one of the largest of most powerful kingdoms in what is now Senegal, existing from 1549 AD to 1879 AD.
Amazigh m Northern African, BerberFrom Tamazight ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ
(Amaziɣ), which is the self-designation of the Berber (Amazigh) people of North Africa. The name itself is of unknown meaning, though folk etymologies claim the meaning of "free-man", derived from Taznatit (Gurara)
aze meaning "to be strong" and Tamasheq
jeɣeɣ meaning "to be brave".
Amlan f BaouléDerived from Baoulé
mlan "Wednesday", referring to the day of the week on which the child was born and hence to be understood as "born on Wednesday".
Amobi m IgboMeans “who knows what the people want, one who understands the minds of the people” in Igbo.
Amoin f BaouléDerived from Baoulé
mɔnnɛn "Sunday", referring to the day of the week on which the child was born and hence to be understood as "born on Sunday".
Amukudzaishe m ShonaIt is a name that means, "He has put the Lord in a high place" or "He has exalted the Lord", a shorter version of the name is
Amukudza.
Amusan m YorubaMeans "one who holds the whip" in Yoruba, from
mú "to hold, grasp" and
ìṣán, a kind of whip or cane used in Egúngún (or Masquerade) festivals. Usually given to children born holding the umbilical cord, with a membrane "mask" covering their head, or the third-born of triplets.
Anaishe f & m ShonaDerived from Shona
anashe, meaning "who is with God".
Andani m DagbaniFamily name of one of the royal gates of Dagbong. Inherited traditional name".
Anesu f ShonaA Shona name for girls. It means "God is with us".
Angweng f Luo"birthed during the season of white ants (termites, i.e. rainy season)"
Anietie m EfikMeans "who could you compare to God?" in Efik.
Anuarite f Central African, Bantu (Gallicized), History (Ecclesiastical)Borne by the Blessed Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta (1939-1964), a beatified Congolese nun who was killed at age 24 during the Congo Crisis. According to the Dictionary of African Christian Biography, she belonged to the Wabudu tribe and her name means "one who laughs at war".
Aoua f Western AfricanVariant of
Awa. A notable bearer was Malian independence activist Aoua Kéita (1912-1980).
Apolot f Eastern AfricanOrigin- Iteso people of eastern Uganda and Western Kenya, from the Ateso language, a derivative of the Teso-Turkana language and eastern Nilotic culture. ... [
more]
Arachie m & f IgboPossibly means "to have chosen a portion ahead of another; to supplant" in Igbo.
Arinola f & m YorubaMeans "one amongst honour" or "in the midst of wealth" in Yoruba, from
àárín "centre, middle" combined with either
ọlá "honour, respect" or
ọlà "wealth"... [
more]
Arumirirarudo f ShonaIt means "she has waited for love", or "one who has waited on love", a shorter form of the name can be
Arumi or
Rudo.
Asaaseasa m & f AkanMeans "the land is finished" in Akan. The implication of this name is that there is no more land for the dead to be buried - so the child is encouraged to live as there will be no more space for his/her burial.
Ashira m & f ShonaMeaning “receive; accept; welcome”, the fuller version of the name is
Gashira.
Asisat f NigerianThe name of the professional woman football player Asisat Oshoala, playing for FC Barcelona.
Atem f & m Jagham, KenyangMeans "friends" in Jagham and Kenyang as it's the plural of
ǹ-tèm meaning "friend".
Atsen m AfizereAtsen which means"Visitor" is a male given name among the Afizere people of Nigeria. who are predominantly in Jos Plateau and Bauchi State Nigeria.
Auwal m Western African, HausaDerived from Arabic أول
('awwal) meaning "first". This name is commonly given to the first of multiple children with the same name.
Aya f BaouléDerived from Baoulé
ya "Friday", referring to the day of the week on which the child was born and hence to be understood as "born on Friday".
Ayamba f & m Jagham, KenyangMeans "he/she opened the way" in Ejagham, used for the first of twins.
Ayebatonye m & f IjawMeans "what God has destined" or "destiny" in Ijaw.
Ayelè f Ewe, AfricanName of Ewa origin, meaning "happiness has come", "happiness is here".
Ayen f DinkaRelated with a specific kind of cow in Dinka language.
Aylintá f Western AfricanThe name Aylintá comes from the West African nation of Senegal and means Bearer of Light or Bringer of Light.