African Boy Names
Updated Tue Feb 06 2024
Share
Copy link
African boy names represent the many languages and cultures from around the continent. Americans may be familiar with African names such as Chidi, Kamau, Neo, Kehinde, and Nnamdi through pop culture references. Barack, a Swahili name, is the widest known, as the name of 44th President Barack Obama.
Amari is currently the most popular African boy name in the United States. Along with Amari, other African boy names in the US Top 1000 are Omari, Ayan, Dakari, Khari, and Zaire. Rare African boy names worth considering include Idir, Odion, Zenebe, and Uzochi.
African baby names for boys are historic choices that honor heritage. The possibilities are diverse and varied from the range of African countries and cultures. This list of African boy names is ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
RELATED:
- Iniko
Origin:
Nigerian, IgboMeaning:
"born in a time of trouble"Description:
This West African name has an upbeat, energetic sound, yet it is traditionally used for a son who was born during troubled times.
- Amari
Origin:
Hebrew, Sanskrit, Latin, YorubaMeaning:
"eternal, goddess, loved, strength"Description:
Amari is a name that's rising in popularity for both boys and girls in the US, used last year for about 2000 baby boys and 1000 baby girls. It's among the Top 20 gender neutral names.
- Neo
Origin:
Latin or TswanaMeaning:
"new or gift"Description:
This nouveau name of Keanu Reeves's character in The Matrix has not enjoyed the same burst of popularity as its female counterpart, Trinity, but it definitely sounds, well, newer. Neo Rauch is an interesting contemporary German artist.
- Obi
Origin:
Short form of Obadiah or African, IgboMeaning:
"heart"Description:
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".
- Zaire
Origin:
Place name, CongoMeaning:
"the river that swallows all rivers"Description:
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 wearable choice for a son.
- Haji
Origin:
SwahiliMeaning:
"born during the pilgrimage to Mecca"Description:
A name appropriate for boys born during the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca every Muslim is expected to make once in his lifetime.
- T'challa
Origin:
West African and South African, meaning unknownDescription:
T'Challa is the "real" name of Marvel's Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman in the 2018 blockbuster. That year, Marvel released a comic revealing the name means "he who put the knife where it belonged" in the fictional native language of Wakanda.
- Kofi
Origin:
Ghanaian, Akan, TwiMeaning:
"born on Friday"Description:
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 day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system.
- Bayo
Origin:
African, Nigerian, YorubaMeaning:
"the crown meets joy"Description:
Short form of Adebayo
- Khari
Origin:
West AfricanMeaning:
"kingly"Description:
Though used quite often for babies of both sexes, Khari, meaning "kingly," was traditionally a boys' name. Musical couple Fetty Wop and Masika Kalysha, however, named their daughter Khari.
- Nnamdi
Origin:
IgboMeaning:
"my father is alive"Description:
In the Igbo culture of Nigeria, the name Nnamdi is given to baby boys who are thought to be reincarnations of their grandfathers. The name is familiar via Nnamdi Asomugha, a former NFL player married to Kerry Washington.
- Akello
Origin:
UgandanMeaning:
"I have brought forth"Description:
Energetic but mellow.
- Omari
Origin:
Swahili, ArabicMeaning:
"populous, flourishing"Description:
This name, like Omar and Amari, has been in the US Top 1000 for many years. After taking a downturn in 2008, it's now again on the upswing. Actor Omari Hardwick keeps it in the public eye.
- Kato
Origin:
African, UgandaMeaning:
"second of twins"Description:
Kato gained a lot of attention during the O. J. Simpson trial via witness Kato Kaelin (born Brian). It is also the name of a fictional character in "The Green Hornet." Spelled Cato, it has a lot more credibility as an ancient name.
- Odion
Origin:
EsanMeaning:
"first born of twins"Description:
Strong name from the Esan language of Nigeria, with a satisfyingly specific meaning for a child's place in the family.
- Kwaku
Origin:
Ghanaian, Akan, TwiMeaning:
"Born on a Wednesday"Description:
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).
- Kwame
Origin:
Ghanaian, AkanMeaning:
"born on Saturday"Description:
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).
- Congo
Origin:
Place-nameMeaning:
"gather"Description:
Not long ago, the name of this central African republic was firmly in place-name territory and not seen as baby appropriate. But those boundaries are moving so quickly that all kinds of place-names that were once not considered as baby names, from Alaska to Morocco to Chicago to, yes, Congo are on the list. The place-name Congo is taken from the people and language of the Kingdom of Kongo. In that language, the word kongo means "gather".
- Tedros
Origin:
Amharic form of TheodoreMeaning:
"gift of God"Description:
A form of the classic Theodore, most often used in Eritrea and Ethiopia. Tewodros is an alternative spelling.
- Massai
Origin:
African tribe; also ItalianMeaning:
"owner of land and farms"Description:
Unusual name chosen for her son by actress Nia Long, who combined it with the even more unusual literary middle name, Zhivago.