Browse Submitted Names

Aadam m Urdu, Somali, Estonian
Urdu, Somali, and Estonian form of Adam.

Aaden m Somali
Somali form of Adam.

Abadi m Ijaw
Means "a big sea" in Ijaw.

Abaka f Akan
Means "first born" in Akan.

Abana f African
Variant of Abena.

Abebe m Amharic, Ethiopian
Variant of Abeba.

Abebi f Yoruba
Means "begged to be born" in Yoruba, from bẹ̀ "beg, pray" and bí "to give birth, be born"... [more]

Abeje f & m Yoruba

Abeke f Yoruba
Means "one begged to care for" in Yoruba.

Abera m Ethiopian
Means "light" or "he shines". Used as both a given name and a surname.

Abias m African

Abiba f Northern African
Has its origins in the Moroccan language and means "first child born after the grandmother has died."

Abike f Yoruba
Means "born to treasure" or "born to be pampered" in Yoruba, from bí "to give birth, be born" and kẹ́ "to cherish, care for".

Abiso m Yoruba
Means "given" or "acquired" in Yoruba.

Aboyo f Luo
Means "one who saunters" in Luo.

Aburu m Dagbani
One of the royal gates of Dagbong Kingdom denoting "Corrupted name of Abdulai"

Abush m Oromo
Means, 'little boy' often used to denote the youngest child of a family.

Abuto f Luo
Means "I have hidden" in Luo.

Abyan m Somali
From the Somali word Abyee which translates to "to complete or to perfect"

Achan f Dinka
Means "female child in the first pair of twins" in Dinka.

Achol m Dinka

Adaku f Igbo
Means "daughter of wealth" in Igbo.

Adama m Western African
Form of Adam used in parts of western Africa.

Adamu m Amharic, Swahili, Hausa
Amharic, Swahili, and Hausa form of Adam.

Addis f & m Amharic, Ethiopian
Derived from Amharic አዲስ (addis) "new".

Adede f Luo
Means "grasshopper" in Luo.

Adeya f American (Modern, Rare), Nigerian (?)
Perhaps in part from Yoruba adé meaning "crown". This name was used by the American singer Kehlani for her daughter born 2019.

Adhra f Swahili
Means "apology" in Swahili.

Adiam f Ge'ez, Amharic
Possibly means "fair, pretty".

Adimu f Swahili
Means “rare” in Swahili.

Adiwa f Shona
Meaning "one who is beloved or desired", a longer form of the name can be Adiwanashe, deriving from the verb kudiwa.

Adoka f Efik

Adole m Idoma
Means "father of the house" in Idoma.

Adubi f & m Yoruba
Means "one we struggled to birth" in Yoruba, from dù "to fight, struggle" and bí "to birth, be born". Sometimes given to children named Ige as a nickname.

Aduei f Dinka

Aduke f Yoruba
Means "one (people) struggle(d) to care for" in Yoruba.

Aduor f Eastern African, Luo
Means "born at dawn" in Luo.

Adwin m Akan
Means "creative" in Akan.

Afafa f Ewe
Means "the first child of the second husband" in Ewe.

Afara m & f Shona
Meaning "one who is happy or joyous".

Afiah m Efik
Means "fourth son" in Efik.

Afiya f African, Arabic
Means "health" in Arabic.

Afunu f Nigerian

Agbor m & f Jagham, Kenyang
Means "he/she has fallen" in Jagham and Kenyang, spoken in Nigeria and Cameroon. It derives from the Jagham root gbɔ̌ meaning "to fall" maybe referred to God's blessings falling from above.

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.

Ageze m Central African

Agibu m Fula
Fulani name meaning ‘patient, meticulous’

Aguta m African
Allegedly a Lugbara name from Uganda.

Ahmat m Indonesian, Malay, Central African
Indonesian and Malay form of Ahmad, also used in Chad.

Aidei f Shona
It is a name that asks a question, meaning "what did he/she desire?"

Aimut m Amharic
Means "may he not die" in Amharic.

Aissa f Western African
Form of Aisha used in West African countries (primarily Mali, Senegal, and Cameroon).

Ajadi m Yoruba
Means "ends conflict" or "end of a conflict" in Yoruba.

Ajaja m & f Yoruba
Means "one who fights and escapes" in Yoruba, from jà "to fight, struggle" and já "to snap, break off, break loose".

Ajaka m Yoruba Mythology, Yoruba (Rare)
Meaning unknown. It was borne by an Oyo emperor whose father was Oranyan and his brother was possibly the deity Shango.

Ajala m & f Yoruba
Means "fights and survives" in Yoruba, from jà "to fight, struggle" and là "to survive". Alternatively, the final element could be lá "to lick; to become worn out".

Ajaŋa m Jola
Means "girl" in Jola-Fonyi.

Ajani m Yoruba
Means "one (we) fought to have" in Yoruba.

Ajari f & m Yoruba
Means "fought to be seen" in Yoruba, traditionally given to children born facing downwards.

Ajayi m & f Yoruba
Means "fought to turn" in Yoruba, traditionally given to children born facing downwards or sideways.

Ajike f Yoruba
Means "wakes up to be pampered" in Yoruba, from jí "to wake" and‎ kẹ́ "to care for, cherish".

Ajoke f Yoruba
Means "jointly beloved" or "pampered by all" in Yoruba, from jọ "together, jointly; to assemble, congregate" and‎ kẹ́ "to care for, cherish".

Akala m Nigerian

Akani m Tsonga
Means "build, build together" in Xitsonga.

Akech f Luo
"birthed during a famine"

Akeer f Dinka
The name Akeer is often associated with strength, leadership, and resilience in Dinka culture, native to South Sudan.

Akela f Luba

Akiki m Eastern African, Nkore
Means "friend" in Nkore, spoken in Uganda.

Akili m Swahili (Rare)
From Swahili akili meaning "mind, inteligence".

Akime m Western African
Means "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”.

Akofa f Ewe

Akoma m & f Central African, African Mythology
Akoma 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"

Akoth f Luo
Feminine of Okoth, meaning born while it was raining

Aksil m Berber, Northern African, History
Means "cheetah" or "leopard" in Shawiya Tamazight. This was the real name of Kusaila (كسيلة), a 7th-century Berber king.

Akumu f Swahili

Alabi m & f Yoruba
Means "born of the white cloth, born of purity" in Yoruba, from ala "white cloth, purity" and bí "to give birth, be born".

Alake f Yoruba
Means "survived to be cherished" in Yoruba, from là "to survive" and kẹ́ "to care for, cherish".

Alame m Amharic
Means "my world" in Amharic.

Alara m Yoruba, History
Possibly 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]

Alata f Ijaw
Means "royal wife" in Ijaw.

Alawo f & m Yoruba
Alawo means "white, green" in Yoruba.... [more]

Alemu m Amharic
Means "they dreamt" in Amharic.

Alera f & m Ogoni
Means "enough" or "it is enough" in Khana.

Aliir m Dinka

Alile f Yao
Means "she weeps" in Yao.

Alima f Arabic, Western African, Northern African, Kazakh, Indian (Muslim)
Feminine form of Alim.

Alimi m & f Nigerian

Aliou m Western African
Form of Ali 1 used in parts of western Africa.

Alita f English, Dutch, Afrikaans

Aliza f Hungarian, Basque, Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans
Basque form of Alice, Hungarian variant of Alíz and Dutch and Afrikaans variant of Alisa.

Almaz m & f Tatar, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijani, Eastern African, Amharic
Means "diamond" in various languages, all derived from Persian الماس (almas). It is only used as a masculine name in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan while it is feminine in Azerbaijan and Ethiopia.

Altus m Afrikaans (Rare)

Alubé m Kongo, Lingala, Central African
Kongo form of Albert.

Alula m Ethiopian

Amaja f Nigerian

Amaku m & f Efik
Of Eniong Origin

Amalu m Berber
Means "shadow" in Tamazight.

Amani f Swahili
Means "peace" in Swahili.

Amani f Tigrinya
Means "faith" in Tigrinya.

Amari m African, Yoruba, Western African
A 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.

Amazu m Igbo
Means “I don’t know” in Igbo.

Amenu m Ethiopian

Ameyo f Akan
Means "Saturday" in Akan.

Amile m Zulu
something keeping a structural holding making sure things are balanced in life.

Amino f Somali, African
Somali variant of Amina.

Amlan f Baoulé
Derived 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 Igbo
Means “who knows what the people want, one who understands the minds of the people” in Igbo.

Amoin f Baoulé
Derived 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".

Amoke f & m Yoruba
Means "known and cherished" in Yoruba, from mọ̀ "to know" and kẹ́ "to care for, cherish".

Amoré f Afrikaans (Modern)
Afrikaans form of Amore.

Ampie m Afrikaans
Diminutive of Abraham.

Ampke f Afrikaans (Rare, Archaic)

Amron m Amharic
Meaning you wanted a certain masculine thing. Calling a baby boy Amron could mean that you wanted that baby.

Amusa f Southern African
It is a Silozi or Lozi Name. Silozi or Lozi is a Zambian language.

Anané m Akan
Means "fourth born" in Akan.

Anasa f Swahili
Means "joy" in Swahili.

Aneke f Afrikaans
Variant of Anneke.

Anele m & f Zulu
Means "be enough; be sufficient; be adequate" in Zulu.

Anemi f Shona
It means "He (the Lord) is with you", or "one who is with you".

Anene f South African

Anesi m Edo

Anesu f Shona
A Shona name for girls. It means "God is with us".

Anike f Yoruba
Means "had to cherish" in Yoruba, from ní "to have, possess" and kẹ́ "to care for, cherish".

Ankia f Afrikaans
Variant of Ankie.

Ankie f Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese), Flemish, Afrikaans
Diminutive of Anna.

Annan m Akan
Variant of Anan 1.

Anoka f Indian, South African

Anoni m Swahili
Variation of Anno.

Anyim m Nigerian
A notable bearer is Anyim Pius Anyim, a Nigerian politician.

Anzél f Afrikaans
Variant of Anzelle.

Apapa m Ijaw
Means "groundnut" in Ijaw.

Apeke f Yoruba
Means "called to be pampered" in Yoruba, from pè "to call, summon, invoke" and kẹ́ "to care for, cherish".

Apiyo f Luo
"firstborn of twins"

Araba f African
Girl born on a Tuesday, in Akan. (Same as Abena)

Araya m Tigrinya
Means "leader by example" in Tigrinya.

Arike f Yoruba
Means "seen and cared for" in Yoruba.

Arina f Hungarian, Dutch, Afrikaans
Hungarian contracted form of Adriána and Dutch and Afrikaans contracted form of Adriana.

Ariyo m Yoruba
Means "one who is seen and rejoiced" in Yoruba, from rí "to see" and yọ̀ "to rejoice".

Armed m Indonesian, Nigerian
Indonesian and Nigerian form of Ahmed.

Arogo f Igbo
Means “rise, go up” in Igbo.

Arone m African (Rare)

Arusi f Swahili
Means "born at wedding time" in Swahili.

Asaba m & f Tooro

Asabi f Yoruba
Means "one selected for birth" in Yoruba.

Asade m & f Western African
West African form and rare feminine form of Asad.

Asadi m Eastern African
Masculine name in the Rotooro language, Uganda East Africa.

Asafu m Berber
Means "torch" in Tamazight.

Asali f Swahili
Means "honey" in Swahili.

Asana f African, Dagbani
The name Asana is a derivative of Hassan. ... [more]

Asani m Swahili
Means "rebellious" in Swahili.

Asari f Efik

Asari f Efik
The name Asari, which is originally an Efik name, means "choosy","selective".

Asaye f African
From Africa/Ghana

Aseda f & m Akan
"Praise"

Aseka m Shona
Meaning “he laughs; he who has laughed”.

Aseye f African
african, Means Happiness

Asfru m Berber
Means "poem, ode" in Tamazight.

Ashon m Akan
Means "seventh born son" in Akan.

Asian m & f Ibibio
Means "one who is proud" in Ibibio.

Asipa m Yoruba
Means "pathfinder, one who leads the way" in Yoruba, from ṣí "to open up" and ipa "path".

Asmun m Berber
Means "companion" in Amazigh.

Asrat m & f Ge'ez
Means "tithe" in Ge'ez.

Assan m Western African, Kazakh
Western African and Kazakh form of Hassan.

Assie f Oromo
varint of aussie

Aster f Amharic
Amharic form of Esther.

Astur f Somali
Means "repose, seclusion" in Somali.

Ataïs m Kongo (Gallicized), Vili
Means ‘Papa Comes’ in Vili.

Atang m & f Tswana
Means "multipy" in Setswana.

Ataui m Dinka

Atbir m Berber
Means "dove" in Amazigh.

Ateri f Nigerian, Eggon
Means "victory" in Eggon.

Atiba m & f Yoruba
Means "understanding" in Yoruba.

Atine f African (Rare)

Atsen m Afizere
Atsen which means"Visitor" is a male given name among the Afizere people of Nigeria. who are predominantly in Jos Plateau and Bauchi State Nigeria.

Átuay m & f Bandial
Means "the white one" in Bandial.

Auben f & m English (Modern, Rare), South African (Rare)
Variant of Aubin.

Auwal m Western African, Hausa
Derived from Arabic أول ('awwal) meaning "first". This name is commonly given to the first of multiple children with the same name.

Awami f Nguni
Means "belongs to me" in Nguni.

Awash m Amharic
Means "lender" in Amharic.

Awazi f African (Rare)

Awino f Luo
Means "born with the cord around" in Luo.

Awiti f Luo
"someone birthed after a misfortune, such as a difficult birth process"

Awsim m Berber
Means "fawn" in Tamazight.

Awuor f Luo
Means "the greedy one" in Luo.... [more]

Ayaba f African American (Rare), Yoruba (Rare), Nigerian (Rare), African (Rare)
From the Yoruba ayaba meaning "queen".

Ayana f Kongo
support, protect, sustain

Ayani m Kongo
"helpers, protectors, those who support, support or protect" comes from the verb kuyana

Ayatu m Ge'ez
Means "his likeness" in Ge'ez.

Ayelè f Ewe, African
Name of Ewa origin, meaning "happiness has come", "happiness is here".

Ayesu m & f African
Muslim African

Ayita f English (Modern, Rare, ?), African American (Rare), Western African (Rare)
The origins of this name are uncertain. Though it is popularly claimed to mean "first to dance" in Cherokee, this appears to be untrue.... [more]

Ayoka f Yoruba
Means "one we rejoice to pluck" in Yoruba.

Ayrad m Berber
Means "lion" in Amazigh.

Ayrad m Berber
Means Lion in Tarifit.

Ayuub m Somali
Somali form of Ayyub.

Ayyur m Berber
Means "moon" in Tamazight.

Azazi m Ge'ez
Means "one who commands" in Ge'ez.

Azele f Afrikaans (Rare)
Variant of Azèle.

Azibo m Nigerian
Azibo means “youth” in Nigerian. It also means “Earth” in Egyptian.

Azizi f & m African American (Rare), Swahili
Means "treasure, rarity, something valuable; lover" in Swahili, derived from Arabic عَزِيز‎ (ʕazīz); compare Aziz. A known (female) bearer is American model Azizi Johari (1948-), in whose case it is a pseudonym.

Azmar m Berber
Meaning unknown.

Azrur m Berber
Means "handsome" in Tamazight.

Azuka m Igbo
Means "the past is greater" or "my back is greater" in Igbo.

Azumi f Hausa
Means "month of fasting" in Hausa, traditionally given to girls born during Ramadan.

Taban m Somali, Eastern African

Tabia f African
From the Swahili word for “talented.”

Tacko m Western African, Serer

Tadla f Berber (Rare)
Means "branches" in Berber.

Tafat f & m Ancient Berber, Berber
Means "light" in Amazigh.

Tafna f Ancient Berber, Berber (Rare)
Possibly derived from the name of a river in northwestern Algeria.

Taitu f Ethiopian
Name of a 19th century Ethiopian empress known for founding the now-capital city of Addis Ababa and fending off Italian invasion of Ethiopia

Tallo m Western African

Tambu f South African

Tamre m Amharic
Means "my miracle" in Amharic.

Tandy f South African

Tangu f & m Tumbuka
Means "first", usually given to the firstborn of twins.

Tanko m Hausa
Name given to a boy born after many girls.

Tanue m African

Taous f Kabyle
A feminine name used in the kabyle berber region Tizi Ouzou Bejaya and Bouira of Algeria. Cones from the Arab word Tawoos طاووس meaning peacock.

Tauya m & f Shona
Means "we have come" in Shona.

Taweh m Western African
Means "go there!" in Vai, spoken in Liberia.

Tawia f Western African (Archaic)
Tawia mean "born after twins"

Tcham m Central African
From Tcham N'Toya-Zoa (born 3 November 1983 in Kinshasa, DR Congo),a French-Congolese footballer.

Teawa m & f Akan
Means "the slim one" in Akan.

Tees-ì m & f Sidamo
Means "be wise!" in Sidama.

Tegla f Eastern African, Pokot
A famous bearer is Tegla Chepkite Loroupe (born 1973) a Kenyan long-distance track and road runner. She is also a global spokeswoman for peace, women's rights and education.

Tekle m & f Amharic
Means "my plant" from Amharic ተክል (tekl) meaning "plant".

Temba m South African

Temwa f & m Tumbuka
Means "love" in Tumbuka.

Tezna f South African

Thaba m Sotho
Means "mountain" in Sotho.

Thayi m & f Tswana
Decendants of the Nyambane speaking people in Mozambique and descendants of Tswana speaking people in Botswana met in South Africa in the early 1800. The great Nyanale from Mozambique "Nambane" came to South Africa to work in mines.

Thebe m Sotho
Means "shield" in Sesotho.

Thero m Tswana
Means "sermon" in Setswana.

Thuba f Ndebele
Means "chance" in Ndebele.

Thula f Zulu
Means "peace" in Zulu.

Thuli f Southern African
Short form of Thulisile.

Thuso m Sotho
Means "help" in Sotho.

Thuto m Sotho
Means "lesson" in Sesotho.

Tiaan m Afrikaans
Short form of Christiaan.

Tiego m African
meaning: the belated... [more]

Tiéna m Western African
Meaning as of yet unknown. A notable bearer of this name is the Malian politician Tiéna Coulibaly (b. 1952).

Tigst f Amharic
Variant of Tigist

Tiifu m Ganda
Transferred use of the surname Tiifu.

Timuš f Berber
Berber diminutive of Fatima.

Tinus m Afrikaans, Dutch
Usually a short form of Martinus, but there are also cases where it is a short form of Constantinus.

Tirfi f Amharic, Ethiopian

Tissa f Somali
A gift from God

Titem f Berber
Berber diminutive of Fatima.

Tiwul f Berber
Means "of the heart" in Tamazight.

Tiyya f Berber
Means The"Nice"

Tlali m Sotho
Means "lightning" in Sotho.

Tonny m & f Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, Central African
Variant of Toni 1 and Toni 2, which are short forms of Anton and Antonia respectively... [more]

Tonta f Bamileke
Bagangte, Cameroon

Tonye m & f Ijaw
Short form of Ayibatonye.

Tosin m & f Yoruba
Means "worthy of worship" in Yoruba, also a short form of Oluwatosin.

Totit f Amharic
Means "monkey" in Amharic. It is used as a nickname in Ethiopia.

Touda f Berber

Touka f Berber
Variant of Tuka.

Toure f & m Western African (Gallicized, Rare)
Unaccented form of Touré.

Touré f & m Western African (Gallicized, Rare)
From the surname Touré, possibly a French form of Soninke tùùré "elephant".

Touya f Berber
tree, tamazight

Tryna f Afrikaans
Afrikaans form of Trijna and thus a short form of Catharina and Catherina (compare Tryntje).

Tsebo m Sotho
Means "knowledge" in Sesotho.

Tsega f Ethiopian

Tsela m Sotho
Means "path" in Sesotho.

Tsepo m Southern African
Variant of Tshepo.

Tsige m & f Ge'ez
Means "flower" in Ge'ez.

Tsofo m Hausa
Means "old" in Hausa.

Tubbo m Luhya
Means "lover of bees; friend of all" in Luhya.

Tuelo f & m Tswana
Means "payment" in Tswana.

Tuere f Swahili (Rare)
Means "sacred" in Swahili.

Tukur m & f African

Tulie f South African, African

Tumai f Eastern African
Means "hope" in Swahili.

Tumas m Arabic, Somali
Arabic form of Thomas.

Tunau m Hausa
Means "remember" in Hausa.

Tundu m Eastern African

Turai f Hausa
Name given to a girl born on a Tuesday.

Tusmo f Somali
Means "in tandem" in Somali.

Tyjah m & f African, African American (Modern)
Apparently means "smart" in one of the languages on the African continent. However, the name can also be derived from the name abbreviation (or initials) T.J., which is typically pronounced as "tee-jay" and its pronunciation henceforth developed into a first name of its own right (Teejay).

Tylin m African