African Names

A wonderful meaning for a bright and musical West African name.

Kwadwo is a name given to men born on Monday in Western Africa, particularly Ghana and some parts of Togo and Ivory Coast. The female variant is Adwoa.

Djimon has become a familiar African name via powerful Benin-born, Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou.

Pronounced mah-zah, Maaza means a pleasant scent, usually from a yellow daisy popular in Ethiopia. Hot young Ethiopian-American novelist Maaza Mengiste introduced the name to our shores.

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.

Might frequently be understood as "pilly." Can also be a short form of Pilar -- though the long form is better.

This obscure Zulu name was chosen by Stevie Wonder.

Gingery.

Adverse associations with the ruthless Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.

Not many parents would want to use Tisa for its literal meaning in this era of smaller families, but Tisa is a name with much crossover appeal. Simple and straightforward, it's also both distinctive and feminine and relates to similar-sounding Western names such as Lisa and Trisha and Tea. If you're looking for an African name that can bridge cultures, Tisa is an excellent pick.

Affectionate sounding name that could have birth-order meaning.

A name that originated in Rwanda, rhythmically evocative.

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).

A bold and evocative African place name. The country of Kenya gets its name from Mount Kenya, referred to it as "Kirinyaga" or "Kerenyaga" by the local Kikuyu people, meaning "mountain of whiteness" due to its snow-capped peak.

More original than any made-up name.

Nigerian name with an honorable meaning.

Popular etymology derives this West African country's name from the Wolof words sunu gal, "our canoe". It's an appealing image, of a nation of people all in the same boat. Some country names have taken off as baby names, but this one, not yet.

The three soft a's make for a calm and rhythmic name, though some risk of salami jokes.

One African choice that might be easier to understand if spelled phonetically: it's pronounced TAH-shee.

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.