Search names

African Names that Start With A

Updated October 2026

Names33

Pages2

Total Names33

Across 2 pages

Page1

of 2

About this list

There are 33 African names that start with the letter A for boys and girls, including Amara, Ayan, Anika, Ayana, Ayanna, Asha, Amaria, Ashanti, Akoa, Afia, Ayan, Ala, Abena, Ama, Amadi, Amma, Africa, Aissa, Adwoa, and Akosua.

The names

Showing 1–20 of 33

Amara
Igbo, Sanskrit, Arabic
"grace, immortal, tribe"
Strong, attractive, and stylish, Amara is a true multicultural choice enjoying some popularity in both the US and the UK. In the US Top 1000 since the turn of this century, Amara has been holding…
Ayan
Somali
"fortune"
The African name Ayan was first seen on the US Top 1000 for boys in 2014. It's both simple and distinctive, a winning combination.
Anika
Dutch, German, Slovene, and Polish diminutive of Anne, Hindi, Sanskrit
"grace; army, splendour"
Sweet but spiky, Anika is a multicultural choice with broad appeal. Familiar in the UK, Czechia, Poland, and the US, it is in the Top 100 in Slovenia. It is additionally popular in Bangladesh, India,…
Ayana
Arabic, African, Kazakh
"large eyes; time; beautiful flower; clear, obvious, revealed; seeing, witnessing"
With diverse roots and meanings, Ayana is a cross-cultural possibility with Arabic, African, and Kazakh origin. Both Ayana and Ayanna enjoyed a spike of popularity in the 1990s, but have faded since…
Ayanna
Arabic, African
"large eyes; or time; beautiful flower"
Variant of Ayana with international roots.
Asha
Sanskrit; Swahili
"hope; life"
Asha is an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit word for hope or desire, but it is also a Swahili name derived from Aisha, meaning life. Since the ascendance of Ashley through the 1980s and 90s,…
Amaria
Igbo, English, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek
"grace; beloved, bitter; to thrive and live long; Yahweh has said; to sparkle"
Amaria is one of those rare names that sounds like a familiar and well-known choice. Part of this is done to its similarity to the likes of Amara, Amelia, Maria, and Aria, but another factor is it…
Ashanti
Place-name, former kingdom of western Africa
Authentic African name that blipped in popularity a few years ago when hip-hop singer Ashanti first arrived on the scene.
Akoa
African, Hawaiian
"born on a Wednesday; warrior, strength"
Possibly a form of Akua, an Akan name meaning "born of a Wednesday", or a variation on Koa or Makoa, Hawaiian names relating to warriors and strength, Akoa has been most notably used in Cameroon.…
Afia
African
"born on Friday"
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.
Ayan
Somali or Azerbaijani from Arabic
"fortune; clear, revelation"
Ayan is an African name heard for both sexes.
Ala
Igbo, Polish, diminutive of Alicja
"nobility"
Ala is the Igbo earth goddess whose symbol is the crescent moon. In a very different vein, Ala can be a diminutive for Alicja or Alexandra or really any other name with an A at both ends and an L in…
Abena
Akan, Fante, Ghanaian
"born on Tuesday"
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.
Ama
Ewe, Akan, Ghanaian, Cherokee
"born on Saturday; water"
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…
Amadi
African
"free man"
This name from the Igbo language of Africa, which feels like the more-familiar Arabic Ahmad, might be an original and attractive choice.
Amma
Tamil, Akan
"mother, or born on a Saturday"
An anagram of Mama, in tune with its Tamil meaning. Amma is also a Ghanaian name. The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born…
Africa
Place name, various meanings
Most Africas today would be named for the continent, but the name actually existed in Scotland in medieval times, where there was a Celtic queen named Affrica. Africa has also been a Spanish name for…
Aissa
West African form of Aisha, Arabic
"alive, living"
Predominantly used in Cameroon, Mali, and Senegal, and by parents with West African heritage living around the globe, Aissa is a form of the Arabic Aisha, a significant choice in Islamic tradition,…
Adwoa
Akan, Ghanaian
"born on Monday"
Adwoa is a given name used for women born on Monday in Western Africa, particularly Ghana and some parts of Togo and Ivory Coast. The male equivalent is Kwadwo. The most famous people with this name…
Akosua
Twi, Ewe, Ghanaian
"born on Sunday"
Akosua means "born on a Sunday," which relates the name to the sun and thus to fire. The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were…

Browse by letter

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P S T U X Y Z