Connecting African Heritage - Male

Malik

Arabic; Greenlandic

"king; owner; wave"

A name with many spelling variations, including Malek, Melik, and Maliq, Malik is a popular name of Arabic and Semetic origin that is used internationally as both a given name and a surname. In terms…

Zaire

Place name, Congo

"the river that swallows all rivers"

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…

Kobe

Swahili

"tortoise"

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, whose name was inspired by a Japanese steak house, brought this energetic and appealing name into -- and out of -- the mix. Bryant's tragic death in a helicopter crash…

Zain

Variation of Zayn, Arabic

"beauty, grace"

Zayn and the more Western-friendly Zain sound exactly like the popular Zane but have a different root, in Arabic and African cultures. The name was made familiar to Europeans and Americans by British…

Ayan

Somali

"fortune"

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.

Kellan

Spelling variation of Kellen

"swamp; slender"

Kellan Lutz is the attractive young actor who plays Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series.

Kwame

Ghanaian, Akan

"born on Saturday"

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…

Nile

River name, color name, or variation of Niall, Irish

"champion"

Water names are a cool category these days, and this one of the famous Egyptian river is no exception. It streamlines the fussier Niles and also may be thought of as a color name, meaning dark blue…

Ade

Yoruba

"crown"

Ajani

Nigerian, Yoruban

"the victor"

An easily assimilated African name, a novel twist on Johnny.

Akello

Ugandan

"I have brought forth"

Energetic but mellow.

Akwasi

African, Ashanti, Akan

"born on a Sunday"

Variant of Kwasi, given to boys born on a Sunday among the Akan people of Ghana.

Amadi

African

"free man"

This name from the Igbo language of Africa, which feels like the more-familiar Arabic Ahmad, might be an original and attractive choice.

Amadou

West African

A form of Ahmad popular in Western Africa. It ranked in the French Top 500 for much of the 1980s.

Ayodele

Yoruba

"joy has come home"

A beautiful meaning for a long-awaited child.