African Names for Boys
Across 3 pages
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About this list
See our full selection of African baby boy names, and the stories behind them, below. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.
The names
Zaire
Place name, Congo
"the river that swallows all rivers"
Zaire was a Central African state from 1971 to 1997 that has recently risen up the charts as a boys name. Deriving from a Congo term meaning "the river that swallows all rivers", it makes a bold and…
Kenya
Place name, Kikuyu
"mountain of white"
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"…
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.
Kenyatta
African hero name
Used to honor Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of the independent Kenyan republic. The problem: with the name Kenya now used largely for girls, along with the vowel ending, Kenyatta sounds fairly…
Kanye
African place-name, Nigeria
"honor, tribute"
Kanye West propelled his name into the Top 900 in the early 2000s, at the height of his popularity, though now it has dropped off the baby-naming map. In addition to its African derivation, it is a…
Kwame
Ghanaian, Akan
"born on Saturday"
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…
Kymani
Eastern African
"adventurous traveler"
One of the most popular African names for boys, Kymani was in the US Top 1000 list from 2008 until 2016. Spelled Ky-mani, it's the name of Bob Marley's son.
Gahiji
African
"the hunter"
A name that originated in Rwanda, rhythmically evocative.
Ebo
African, Akeradini
"born on Tuesday"
Ebo is a powerful African day name that can be used to fit its definition.
Ayu
African, Yoruban
"joy"
Rhythmic and unusual.
Idi
African
"born during the Idd festival"
Adverse associations with the ruthless Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
Kano
African place-name or Japanese
"the god of the waters"
Pleasing crossover possibility.
Ibo
African
"my people"
Ibo is short but striking. Another, unrelated but equally appealing name is Ivo.
Djimon
African, meaning unknown
Djimon has become a familiar African name via powerful Benin-born, Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou.
Massai
African tribe; also Italian
"owner of land and farms"
Unusual name chosen for her son by actress Nia Long, who combined it with the even more unusual literary middle name, Zhivago.
Genet
French
"broom (shrub); or descended from John or Eugene"
A relatively common French surname associated with sometimes scandalous French novelist/dramatist Jean Genet. The name may derive from genêt , the French name for the broom shrub. Alternatively, it…
Kofi
Ghanaian, Akan, Twi
"born on Friday"
This Akan day name is very much associated with Kofi Annan, the seventh secretary general of the United Nations. The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the…
Nairobi
African place name
The capital of Kenya makes a melodic and worldly name.
Obi
Short form of Obadiah or African, Igbo
"heart"
Strongly linked in the US to the complex "Star Wars" character, Obi Wan Kenobi, but also popular in Nigeria as a short form of names containing the element Obi "heart". Obi can also be a nickname for…
Garian
African place-name
This town in northern Libya could find a spot on the name map.
