By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 9 pages
of 9
Yoruba, African
"honor and respect me"
Nigerian name with an honorable meaning.
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.
African, Arabic
"dream; faith"
A worthy update for Imani.
African, Yoruba
"mother has returned"
A lively name often used to honor a deceased grandmother in Yoruba culture.
African place-name
Gingery.
"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.
Arabic
"premature child"
Kadida is an Anglicized form of the Arabic name Khadija, wife of the Muslim prophet Muhammad.
African, Ashanti
"chubby baby"
Kessie is cute but slight.
African-Ugandan
"born after twins"
Affectionate sounding name that could have birth-order meaning.
This name of Angola's capital city has occasionally been used for baby girls.
African Nigerian
"she is our joy"
A bit masculine in feel.
Mende
"sweet"
Friendly and energetic name from the Mende language of West Africa.
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…
African, Swahili; or, Russian, diminutive of Stephania
"mouse, tiny one; or, crowned one"
Panya is a multicultural possibility with a sound that's pleasing to the English-speaking ear, though the Swahili translation, which might also be "rat," makes it less than savory as an African name.
African, Swahili
"second born"
Might frequently be understood as "pilly." Can also be a short form of Pilar -- though the long form is better.
Sassy alternative to Cassandra -- maybe too sassy.
Unlikely to take over Kenya's spot as the dominant African place-name.
Swahili
"marvelous, wonderful"
Peppy cheerleader with African roots.
East African, Swahili
"talents, gifts"
Has a feminine feline feel.
African, Zuni
"washtub"
One African choice that might be easier to understand if spelled phonetically: it's pronounced TAH-shee.
