African Names
Across 7 pages
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Juba
African
"born on Monday"
Juba, a strong and resonant unisex name, belonged to an ancient African king, is a city and river name, and is traditionally given to Ashanti (of Ghana) girls born on Monday.
Kadida
Arabic
"premature child"
Kadida is an Anglicized form of the Arabic name Khadija, wife of the Muslim prophet Muhammad.
Kamali
African, Mashona
"spirit guide, protector"
Spirit that protects babies from illness...and surname of designer Naomi.
Kamaria
Swahili
"moonlight"
Lush and unusual.
Kanika
African, Mwera
"black cloth"
Energetic choice that bounces off the tongue.
Kenya
Place name, Kikuyu
"mountain of white"
Kenya, a name borrowed from the East African nation and theoretically unisex, is now used mostly for girls. While it's had its ups and downs since entering the US Top 1000 in 1968, it currently ranks…
Iyabo
African, Yoruba
"mother has returned"
A lively name often used to honor a deceased grandmother in Yoruba culture.
Kia
African
"season's beginning"
Kia is a sweet, simple name that is now, unfortunately, associated with a Korean car label. Better today: Nia, Thea, or Keira.
Kissa
African-Ugandan
"born after twins"
Affectionate sounding name that could have birth-order meaning.
Luanda
African place-name
This name of Angola's capital city has occasionally been used for baby girls.
Imena
African, Arabic
"dream; faith"
A worthy update for Imani.
Bayo
African, Nigerian, Yoruba
"the crown meets joy"
Short form of Adebayo
Nairobi
African place-name, Maasi
"cold water"
Kenya is fairly commonly heard as a girl's name, but its capital city makes a much more exceptional choice. The name comes from the Maasai phrase "Enkare Nairobi," which translates to "cold water."…
Habiba
Arabic
"beloved, sweetheart"
A name whose sweet sound matches with its meaning, Habiba is popular in Somalia and North Africa. It comes from the Arabic habib meaning "dear, beloved", making it a bright and endearing choice.
Nayo
African Nigerian
"she is our joy"
A bit masculine in feel.
Neela
Hindi, Sanskrit
"sapphire blue"
A variation of Nila, a name spread through African by the substantial Indian population there. Also a variant of Neala and Neila.
Nemy
Mende
"sweet"
Friendly and energetic name from the Mende language of West Africa.
Ngozi
African, Nigerian-Igbo
"blessing"
Dynamic and creative; common in Africa, challenging here. Pronunciation isn't as difficult as you'd guess, but everyone will have to ask. Many favor n-GO-zee, but a native speaker tells us that it is…
Makena
Scottish, Meru, or Hawaiian
"son of Kenneth; happy one, gift"
Makena may be one of the names with the most diverse range of possible roots. It can be a spelling variation of the Scottish surname McKenna, or a name from the East African Meru community with a…
Nilla
African
"glorious"
Something slightly negative about that Nil beginning; more positive similar names would be Lilla or Willa, Lucilla or Priscilla. Nilla may also be a short form of the Scandinavian Gunilla.