African Boy Names
Updated Tue Feb 06 2024
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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.
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- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Obi
Origin:
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".
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- Bayo
Origin:
African, Nigerian, YorubaMeaning:
"the crown meets joy"Description:
Short form of Adebayo
- Ayan
Origin:
SomaliMeaning:
"fortune"Description:
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.
- Sekani
Origin:
Sekani, TumbukaMeaning:
"people on the rocks; laugh"Description:
Sekani was the fastest-rising boy name of 2019, inspired by the character Sekani Carter in the 2018 movie The Hate U Give.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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".
- Tau
Origin:
Indigenous Australian or Tswana, SothoMeaning:
"dusk, twilight; lion"Description:
Tau, rhyming with cow, is a simple straightforward name with roots in two languages and cultures, the Kaurna language spoken by indigenous Australian people or the African Tswana language, a Bantu language spoken by five million people.
- 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.
- Idir
Origin:
BerberMeaning:
"alive"Description:
A simple and straightforward choice from northwest Africa.
- Ikenna
Origin:
IgboMeaning:
"father's power"Description:
Ikenna's meaning makes it a subtle way to honor a father or grandfather. Ikenna is the name of a popular YouTube star.
- Themba
Origin:
Xhosa, Zulu, NdebeleMeaning:
"trust, hope"Description:
Themba is a common male name in southern African countries such as Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Eswatini.