African Girl Names

Lush and unusual.

Spirit that protects babies from illness...and surname of designer Naomi.

Author Toni Morrison is an acknowledged master of naming, and Sethe, the name of one of the main characters of Beloved, which can be pronounced as Seth or Seth-eh, relates to the male biblical name Seth but is also the name of the Egyptian god of confusion.

A sweet Lu- name with a gemstone meaning, Lulit is predominately used in Ethiopia and by those with Ethiopian heritage.

One African name that's virtually unknown in the western world, but sounds both soft and strong.

While this African place-name is much more popular for boys, nearly 40 girls were named Zaire last year. Among African baby names, this is one of the best-known in the US.

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.

Short form of Adebayo

An anagram of Mama, in tune with its Tamil meaning.

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 cultures. Ama is one that can be used happily by parents who live in English-speaking countries.

Gugu is derived from the word igugu, meaning "treasure." It's commonly used as a nickname for Gugulethu.

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 closer to n-GAW-zee, and we've found at least one n-GAH-zee, too.

A name with the kind of pan-cultural feel that's in vogue now... and forever, it is both a Swahili name meaning "coral", ultimately from the Arabic marjan, and a Hindi name, meaning "purification".

Would you really want to name your child after a Japanese anime movie called Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space.

This Hindi word which is used in prayer is one of the prime names that mean peace, always a nice message to impart to a child. Nick Nolte used it for his daughter.

Lissa might be an abbreviation of Melissa, but it's more substantial in its own right: Lissa is the name of a supreme mother goddess in African mythology and an Arabic symbol of rebirth.

Despite its varied cultural ties, Zizi still sounds like a cancan dancer or a fluffy lapdog.

Related to the better-known Arabic name Noor.

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.

Used as both a surname and a given name in Ghana, Serwaa is of Akan origin, likely referring to a woman who is noble, righteous and outstanding.