International Baby Names
African Girl Names
Across 8 pages
of 8
Izara
Arabic, Basque, Hausa
"shawl; star; section of tree"
Attractive, rhythmic choice with roots in several languages and cultures. It's a lesser-known a celestial name, meaning "star" in Basque and referring to a star in the constellation Boötes in Arabic.
Juba
African
"born on Monday"
Juba, a strong and resonant unisex name, belonged to an ancient African king, is a city and river name, and is traditionally given to Ashanti (of Ghana) girls born on Monday.
Kamali
African, Mashona
"spirit guide, protector"
Spirit that protects babies from illness...and surname of designer Naomi.
Kamaria
Swahili
"moonlight"
Lush and unusual.
Kehinde
Yoruba
"second-born of twins or one who falls behind"
Although the best-known Kehinde is the male painter Kehinde Wiley, this name is used for both genders in its native Nigeria and can be just as attractive for a girl.
Kessie
African, Ashanti
"chubby baby"
Kessie is cute but slight.
Kia
African
"season's beginning"
Kia is a sweet, simple name that is now, unfortunately, associated with a Korean car label. Better today: Nia, Thea, or Keira.
Kibibi
Swahili
"little lady"
A perky African name with a downright charming meaning.
Lelise
African, Oromo
"admirer"
Feminine form of the male name Lelisa.
Lesedi
Tswana
"light"
A sparkling and rare option among the names that mean light.
Lindiwe
Zulu, Xhosa
"awaited"
Traditionally reserved for daughters who were long wished for.
Lissa
African, Arabic mythological name; diminutive of Melissa, Greek
"honeybee"
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.
Lulit
Amharic
"pearl"
A sweet Lu- name with a gemstone meaning, Lulit is predominately used in Ethiopia and by those with Ethiopian heritage.
Maaza
Amharic
"aroma or essence"
Pronounced mah-zah, Maaza means a pleasant scent, usually from a yellow daisy popular in Ethiopia. Hot young Ethiopian-American novelist Maaza Mengiste introduced the name to our shores.
Aminata
Arabic
"trustworthy, faithful"
This elaboration of the Arabic amīn, meaning "trustworthy" or "to feel safe" was a fast riser in 2022, but has yet to crack the Top 1000. Latvian musical artist Aminata Savadogo's 2021 song "It's…
Marjani
Swahili from Arabic, Hindi, Sanskrit
"coral; cleansing, purification"
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".…
Masozi
Tumbuka
"tears"
A sonorous, if mournful, name from the Tumbuka language of Malawi and Zambia.
Mayeso
Chewa
"test from God"
Mirembe
Uganda
"woman of peace"
Mirembe is a feminine Ugandan name stemming from the Luganda word "emirembe" meaning peace, quiet. In Luganda, Rs are pronounced similar to Ls, so mill-EM-beh is an approximate pronunciation.
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.