African Girl Names
Updated Tue Feb 06 2024
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African girl names hail from all around the continent and offer an uncommon yet usable complement of choices. A few African girl names are starting to catch on in the US, including Zola and Zuri, which feature the exciting Z initial.
Along with Zola and Zuri, other African names for girls in the US Top 1000 include Amara, Anika, Nala, Zendaya, and Zora. One-of-a-kind African girl names given to fewer than five baby girls at last count include Ameyo, Lulit, Nemy, and Thulile.
Africa is a vast continent with an enormous range of diverse cultures, each with its own names and naming traditions. Some girl names from Africa have meanings related to family relationships or to the time or circumstances of a child's birth.
Here is our selection of the best African girl names, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Amara
Origin:
Igbo, Sanskrit, ArabicMeaning:
"grace, immortal, tribe"Description:
Strong, attractive, and stylish, Amara is a true multicultural choice enjoying some popularity in both the US and the UK. In the US Top 1000 since the turn of this century, Amara has been holding steady in the rankings between overly popular and obscure.
- Zora
Origin:
Serbo-CroatianMeaning:
"dawn"Description:
Zora is a meaningful literary heroine name honoring Zora Neale Hurston, an important black writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
- Tula
Origin:
Choctaw, English, Spanish, Hindi, or KiswahiliMeaning:
"leaping waters; town; spear strength; mountain peak"Description:
Tula is a multicultural name, linked to the names Tallulah, Gertrude, and Tullia, a mountain range in Antarctica, and to the Greek Toula, used for the heroine of the hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
- Izara
Origin:
Arabic, Basque, HausaMeaning:
"shawl; star; section of tree"Description:
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.
- Asha
Origin:
Sanskrit; SwahiliMeaning:
"hope; life"Description:
Asha is an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit word for hope or desire, but it is also a Swahili name derived from Aisha, meaning life. Since the ascendance of Ashley through the 1980s and 90s, all baby names Ash-related have been used in the U.S. for both girls and boys, from Ashlyn to Ashby, Ashton to Asher. Despite its separate roots, Asha is part of this group.
- Zola
Origin:
African, Congolese; also literary nameMeaning:
"piece of earth"Description:
When the Eddie Murphys named their fourth daughter Zola, it affirmed the up-and-coming status of the name, which has African roots, but also literary links to Emile Zola. Zola may also be recognizable to some as the adopted daughter of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd on the hit, long-running show Grey's Anatomy.
- Anika
Origin:
Nordic diminutive of Anne or African, HausaMeaning:
"sweetness of face"Description:
Anike is an attractive name with ties to several cultures, both African and Scandinavian. The African pronunciation emphasizes the second syllable while the Nordic one emphasizes the first. While there will be inevitable confusion over pronunciation, either form is "correct".
- Nala
Origin:
African, meaning unknownDescription:
A Disney name—Nala was the friend who became the wife of Simba, hero of The Lion King. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2015.
- Zella
Origin:
African, Bobangi, Libyan place name, diminutive of Rosella, Marcella, Gizella, or IsabellaMeaning:
"lacking nothing, one who knows the way"Description:
Sunny, sassy, and stylish, Zella is a multicultural and versatile choice which works across multiple languages. Popular back in the early 19th century, Zella is now catching the attention of cotemporary parent as a rival to Ella, Stella, and Della.
- Imara
Origin:
KiswahiliMeaning:
"firm"Description:
This could make a hauntingly evocative name for an American child, striking the perfect balance of the unusual and the familiar. Imara's meaning adds further appeal placing it among the special class of girl names that mean strong, brave, or powerful.
- Tigst
Origin:
Amharic, EthiopianMeaning:
"patience"Description:
A spirited and distinctive name, used predominantly in its native Ethiopia, Tigst can also be spelled as Tigist. Derived from Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, it has the virtuous meaning of "patience". A notable bearer is Tigst Assefa, a long-distance runner who was the first woman to break the 2-hour 12-minute barrier in a marathon. She won the 2025 London Marathon.
- Zendaya
Origin:
ShonaMeaning:
"to give thanks"Description:
Zendaya has propelled her unusual African name into the spotlight and up the popularity charts. Zendaya is one of the major baby name influencers of our era.
- Zuri
Origin:
KiswahiliMeaning:
"good, beautiful"Description:
Zuri migrated, at least to American sensibilities, to the feminine side when an Ohio zoo used it for a female giraffe. For either gender, Zuri is an attractive name with the usual Z-initial zest.
- Behati
Origin:
Afrikaans version of BeatriceMeaning:
"blessed; she who brings happiness"Description:
Namibian supermodel Behati Prinsloo, who has walked the runway for every designer from Prada to Versace to Vera Wang, has introduced us to this Afrikaans version of Beate or Beatrice, a rhythmic twist on an international favorite.
- Neela
Origin:
Hindi, SanskritMeaning:
"sapphire blue"Description:
A variation of Nila, a name spread through African by the substantial Indian population there. Also a variant of Neala and Neila.
- Nuna
Origin:
Ewe, Inuit, Greenlandic, Jewish, AkkadianMeaning:
"gift; earth, land, country; fish"Description:
With its sweet, familiar sound, Nuna is a multicultural name with a variety of different origins and meanings, making it a versatile yet rare choice.
- Sethe
Origin:
Egyptian mythological name or variation of Seth, HebrewMeaning:
"appointed, placed"Description:
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.
- Eshe
Origin:
African, SwahiliMeaning:
"life"Description:
A variant of Asha, which is related to the classic Arabic name Aisha, yet another way to say life. Other on-the-rise names with this uplifting meaning: Zoe and Vivian varieties such as Viviana, Viveca, and Vivienne.
- Makena
Origin:
Spelling variation of McKenna, MeruMeaning:
"son of Kenneth; happy one"Description:
Makenna is a name from the East African Meru community, with a sweet, cheerful meaning and a spirited sound. It could also be used as a spelling variation of the Scottish surname McKenna, or as a nod to the Hawaiian place name, Makena, on the south-west of the Island of Maui, possibly borrowed from the Meru name or from the Hawaiian Makana, meaning "gift".
- Samiya
Origin:
ArabicMeaning:
"high, exalted, praised"Description:
Samiya is a name used by parents of both Arabic and African ancestry. Spelling variations include Samiyah, Samiah, and Samia.