African Names

The raja sequence of sounds gives it a regal feel.

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 lower than spelling variant Kenia.

Short form of Adebayo

Ama is a day name used by the Akan people of Ghana for girls born on Saturday. Names that reference a baby's birth by day of the week, time of day, or season of the year are common in many African cultures. Ama is one that can be used happily by parents who live in English-speaking countries.

The surname of the 44th US President has been been adopted as a first, for girls as well as boys, by admiring parents around the world. And the O beginning even makes it fashionable. Though Barack Obama's name derives from the Luo people of Kenya, Obama is also a Japanese place name and a surname that means "little beach."

The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday).

This Swahili and Muslim female name referring to the Prophet Muhammed's nurse. It is a popular name in Egypt and Somalia.

Despite its varied cultural ties, Zizi still sounds like a cancan dancer or a fluffy lapdog.

This town in northern Libya could find a spot on the name map.

Would you really want to name your child after a Japanese anime movie called Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space.

This variant of the more-difficult Afua, from the Akan language of what is now Ghana in West Africa, is a traditional "day name" that can make a perfectly pretty modern choice.

More substantial than it sounds: Shango was the god of thunder and legendary ancestor of the Yoruba people of Nigeria.

This name from the Akan language of Ghana in West Africa is traditionally given to baby girls born on a Tuesday. The male version is Kwabena or Kobena.

Militaristic.

Igbo name made more familiar by its relationship to the popular Belle and Bella.

A lively name often used to honor a deceased grandmother in Yoruba culture.

The capital of Kenya makes a melodic and worldly name.

Affectionate sounding name that could have birth-order meaning.

More original than any made-up name.

Its resonant rhythm and positive connotations have led to some popularity with African-American parents, though it tends to have a masculine feel, particularly considering the rise of a certain Barack.