African Girl Names

A pretty pan-botanical name from the Sotho languages, spoken mainly in the southern part of Africa.

Everyone is loving Lu- names nowadays, so why not add this sweet East African one to your list?

Traditionally reserved for daughters who were long wished for.

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

A worthy update for Imani.

Perhaps the most perfect name for a long-awaited daughter.

A name with the kind of pan-cultural feel that's in vogue now... and forever. A French variant, Marjane, belongs to the author of the iconic graphic memoir Persepolis.

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.

This name from the Akan language of Ghana in West Africa is traditionally given to baby girls born on a Tuesday. The male version is Kwabena or Kobena.

Ayan is an African name heard for both sexes.

Kessie is cute but slight.

Beautiful West African name that could appeal across cultures.

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.

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). Efia (also Afua) is the name for girls born on a Friday. (The male variant is Kofi)

Igbo name made more familiar by its relationship to the popular Belle and Bella.

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.

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

An Ethiopian name that means "joy."

The literal meaning of Olwethu is "ours," which is in reference to the love of the child.

Aramide is a rare name in the US but better-known in Nigeria, where it's a choice from the Yoruba language.