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.
Melubari m OgoniIt is known among the Ogoni people of Southern Nigeria and it means "who is God?"
Menebue m OgoniMeans "Paramount Ruler", "Chief of a Community" or simply "A King"
Menelik m Ge'ez, AmharicMeans "son of the wise man" in Ge'ez and Amharic. According to the legend Menelik was the first emperor of Ethiopia. In the 10th century BC, he is said to have inaugurated the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia, so named because Menelik I is supposed to be the son of the biblical King Solomon of ancient Israel and Makeda, the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba.
Mengesha m AfricanA name once found mainly amongst the higher-up figures of Imperial Ethiopia, often superseding important titles of royal hierarchy. Now a much rarer name in modern Ethiopia.
Mesuli m & f Xhosa, ZuluMeans "wiper (of tears)" in Xhosa, suggesting someone who brings an end to sorrow.
Migil m SomaliMigil is a Somali name with the following characteristics:... [
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Minkah m AfricanPossibly means "Justice". This is the given name of an NFL player, Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Miriro f & m African, ShonaStarted in the early 1900's. Name was given to the second born daughter of the family. Name means "to be expected." Basically the one who was waited for.
Mobutu m Central AfricanMobutu Sese Seko (1930-1997), born Joseph-Desiré Mobutu, was the military dictator and President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (which Mobutu renamed Zaire in 1971) from 1965 to 1997. He also served as Chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity in 1967-1968.
Modadeola m YorubaMeans "man wearing a crown of wealth or affluence" in Yoruba.
Mohamed m SomaliIn Somalia, as in many Muslim-majority countries, the name Mohamed is extremely common, often as part of a longer name or combined with other names. It is not unusual for a Somali person to have multiple family members named Mohamed, so nicknames or other identifiers are often used to distinguish between individuals with the same name.
Moji f YorubaMeans "I rise" or "I wake" in Yoruba. It is often used as a short form of names beginning with
moji, such as
Mojisola.
Mojoyinade m & f YorubaMeans "I enjoyed the splendor of being royalty" in Yoruba.
Morana f MaasaiMorana means a female warrior. It is a feminine derivative of Morani
Moráyọ̀ f & m YorubaA unisex name meaning "I have found joy" or "I have joy". Morayo Afolabi-Brown, a Nigerian media personality, is a bearer of this name.
Motheo m South AfricanAllegedly means "foundation" in Tswana. It is said to normally be given to a child who is viewed as the foundation of the family. Normally a first born. It signifies a new life or re-birth.
Moulay m Northern AfricanFrom an honorific title used by descendants of Moulay Ali Cherif, the founder of the Alaouite dynasty of Morocco.
Mpule f Southern AfricanThis is the name of Mpule Kwelagobe, she is a Botswana politician, businesswoman, model, and beauty pageant title holder, who was crowned Miss Universe 1999 in Trinidad & Tobago.
Mswati m SwaziTwo famous bearers of this name are Mswati II (1825-1868) and Mswati III (1968 -), Kings of Swaziland. Mswati is not their birth name but their name as monarchs.
Muambiwa m & f VendaMeans "the one who is spoken of/about" in Tshivenda.
Muchena m ShonaOne who is white or light skin tone. Or Blessing in Ndau dialect of Shona
Mugwe m AfricanThe name Mugwe is common among the Kikuyu and Ameru of Kenya on the East coast of Africa.... [
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Múkabi m KikuyuIn Kikuyu maasai intermarriage this name was given to a boy born of that relationship in that referred to the maasai as ukabi
Mulele m African, Swahili"Flying man," "man who flies," or "man of flight." The prefix "mu-" expresses "man of" or "man from" in the Swahili language. One interpretation would be that this is approximately equal to "angel," but because there are numerous parts of Africa where there are lots of devout Christians, I would lean towards the interpretation "man who runs quickly."
Munesu f & m ShonaMeans "God is with us" or "God is within us" in Shona.
Murtala m NigerianWest African variant of
Murtada. This was borne by Murtala Muhammed (1938-1976), a Nigerian Army general who became fourth Head of State of Nigeria.
Musoke m Ganda, African MythologyMusoke is the God of Rain in Ganda mythology. His Name derives From ‘
mu’, indicating a single individual, and ‘
soke’, which means ‘
rain’.
Mutinta f Southern AfricanMeans “to change” or "different" in Tonga, a language spoken in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The name is traditionally given to a baby girl born after the birth of two or more consecutive sons.
Mutunga m Africancomes from term tunga which means to return, replace, put back in kamba. Used to name people born after the death of a person in a family. They are taken to be replacements for the departed. the feminine form is mutungwa... [
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Mwari m Shona, African MythologyMeans 'force behind creation' in Shona. Shona traditional religion, Mwari is the supreme creator deity who is believed that he is the author of all things and all life and all is in him.
Mwaura m KikuyuTo kú aúra means to remove or relieve one of a heavy load.Mostly when a visitor came with a kiondo/load and a person took it off his/her back the remover was the mwauri
Mzwamadoda m XhosaMeans "house (full) of men" in Xhosa. In traditional Xhosa culture, parents wanted both sons and daughters, and a household with only sons would bestow such names wishing for a daughter.
Nala f Sotho“Prosperity” , a Sesotho name used in the motto of Lesotho
Namatai m ShonaNamatai means "Pray or praise and worship God".
Namori m Western AfricanUsed in Ivory Coast. A famous bearer is Namori Meite (born 1988) a French-born Côte d'Ivoirean basketball player currently member of the Côte d'Ivoire national basketball team.
Nandi f ZuluMeans "sweet" in Zulu. This was the name of the mother of
Shaka, famed warrior king of the Zulus in colonial South Africa (though her grave is marked
Nindi).
Nangamso f & m XhosaMeans "future" or "even tomorrow" in Xhosa, figuratively "thank you". Often intended as being part of a phrase such as
ungadinwa nangomso meaning "don’t be tired tomorrow". Meant to convey gratitude, and the hope for more of the same in the future.
Napaga f DagbaniIt's a name popular with royals of the Dagbani tribe of Northern Ghana. It means the queen's mother.
Naravas m BerberPersonal name of Naravas, a Berber Numidian king and Hannibal's brother in law.
Nardos f EthiopianUltimately from Greek νάρδος
(nardos) meaning "nard plant, spikenard; fragrant oil or ointment of the nard plant", a word used in the New Testament to refer to the expensive perfume poured on
Jesus at
Bethany (an event known as the 'anointing of Jesus').
Ndakaitei f ShonaMeans "What did I do?"
This name is an expression of regret by a parent. Usually given by a single mother whose partner does not take responsibility of the child born.
Ndamukong m AfricanMeans "House of Spears" in the Ngema tribe of Cameroon. A famous bearer is Ndamukong Suh, the defensive tackle for the college football team Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Ndombolo f KongoIt is the name of a Congolese music genre and dance style derived from the
Congolese Rumba and
Kwassa Kwassa during 1990s.
Ndubisi m & f AfricanNdubisi is an Igbo name derived from Ndu(Life) Bu isi(The first or of priority).This then means "Life is first or of Priority.
Nega m AfricanDawn - One of Ethiopian General who fought and defeated Italian army in the 19th Century in in a place called Dogali, Ethiopia.
Nenaunir m & f Maasai, African MythologyOf uncertain meaning, likely linked to rain. Nenaunir is the villainous god of rain in Maasai mythology, being depicted as a rainbow snake.
Neneh f Western AfricanMeaning unknown, possibly a variant of
Nana 4 or
Nnenne. It is borne by Swedish singer Neneh Cherry (1964-), who inherited the name from her Sierra Leonean paternal grandmother.
Nerutendo f ShonaMeaning "with belief" or "with thanks; with gratitude", another form of the name is
Norutendo. It derives from the verb
kutenda.
Ngigi m KikuyuMeans one born in the season of the locust or one of the locust ageset.In some communities for the last 'i' they put an 'e' but that does not change the meaning nor the pronounciation
Ngohide f Western Africanmy mother has returned. usually given to the first daughter born after the death of a mother
N'golo m MandingThis name means "I've largely procreated" (said by the newborn's father) in Bambara. It is traditionally given to the third-born son. ... [
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Ngor m DinkaMeans "male child in a pair of twins" in Dinka.
Nguluwe m NsengaMeaning warthog. This is the clan name. Daughters of Nguluwe are called Daka or Mbewe
Niama f & m Western AfricanThe name of an 18th century Senegalese princess who was enslaved, sold to Mauritius and later freed by her owner.... [
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Nienzi m & f Kongo, ViliMeans ‘Joy’ in Vili, a language in the Kongo subgroup of Bantu Languages.
Niniola f YorubaMeaning "Having wealth" of West-african, Yoruba origin
Niyokuri f & m RwandanFeminine and masculine name, perhaps honorific after famed professor of agriculture Aristide Niyokuri.
Njalwuni m & f DagbaniLiterally means "Given my life to God" "Leaning on God"
Nkosnathi m AfricanSouth African Zulu name translated into Emmanuel meaning gift of god.
Nnaemeka m IgboGod the father has done great also related to chukwuemeka
Nokutenda m & f ShonaMeans "with gratitude (associated with faith in God)" in Shona.
Nordi m Central AfricanThe given name of the French (with Congolese descendency) professional football player Nordi Mukiele.
Nsambanzary m Mbundu, Central AfricanNsambanzary means strength, power. From Kimbundu the second-most-widely spoken Bantu language in Angola. It is concentrated in the north-west of the country including the Luanda Province, the Bengo Province, the Malange Province, and the Kwanza Norte Province.
Nseobong f & m Ibibio, NigerianMeans "I look up to God" or "when all hope is lost, you must look up to God" in Ibibio.
Nsidibe m NigerianIt mean nothing can be hidden from God. The name of many Nigerian Princes.
Nsimba m & f Congolese, Kongo, Ngombe, MbomaMeans "first-born twin" in Kongo and other Congolese languages. It is referred to the first-born child in a set of twins.
Nsofwa f & m BembaNsofwa is a Bemba name originating from a landlocked /landlinked country Zambia, located in the southern end of the African Continent. The name comes from a Bemba name for 'Elephant,' 'Nsofu' one of the largest land mammals known to man... [
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Nsongo f & m LingalaNsongo means ‘the sword’. It is the name of
Lianja’s sister in the Lingala and Mongo-Nkundo mythology complex.
Ntare m RwandanMeaning "lion" in Kinyarwanda and Kirundi. Famous people with that name includes five kings of the Kingdom of Burundi: Ntare I Rushatsi Cambarantama, Ntare II Kibogora, Ntare III Kivimira Semuganzashamba, Ntare IV Rutaganzwa Rugamba and Ntare V Ndizeye and american actor Ntare Mwine.
Nuname m African, EweMeans Gift. Used by the Ewe tribe of Ghana, Togo and Benin of West Africa.
Nwabudike m African, SwahiliA name in the Swahili language, which means "the son is the father's power," or "the strength of a father comes from his son."... [
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Nǃxau m KhoekhoeMeaning unknown. Notable bearer of this name is Nǃxau ǂToma, a Namibian bush farmer and actor (1944-2003).... [
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Nyakeru f Kikuyu (Rare)Yours means someone in the ancestry or kin of those who had lighter complexion "nyamweru" was your first or in some cases little one from the wilderness for the wilderness is known as "werú"
Nyamayarwo m & f NyoroThis name means ‘meat for Death’, indicating the worst of luck.
Nyame m AkanThe name of the sky god for the Akan people. Meaning "he who knows and sees everything".
Nyashanu m & f ShonaMeaning "the fifth one". It was also the name of a Shona historical figure and King, Nyashanu, who was the ruler of a Shona people known as the Hera.
Obasi m Jagham, KenyangDerived from
ò-βàsì meaning "God" in Jagham, Kenyang and various Ekoid languages.
Obiora m IgboMeans "the mind of the people" in Igbo.