Message: "Shandurai and other African female names"

Shandurai and other African female names

by Bear

6/8/2011, 10:53 AM

Has anyone else seen the movie, "Beseiged?" It starred Thandie Newton as an Ethiopian immigrant in Italy. Her name in the firm is Shandurai ("SHAN-dur-eye"). I was very taken with it and have tried to find out more about it, but have come up with very little. Has anyone else heard of it? What do you think of it?

And what are your favorite African girl names? Some of mine:

Johari (jewel, Swahili)
Marjani (coral)
Aina ("EYE-nuh," Nigerian / Yoruban)
Nyah (purpose, Swahili)
Zuri (beautiful, Swahili)
Visolela (reality is limited but dreams know no bounds)

"Reality is limited but dreams know no bounds?" How does all that fit into four syllables? Take this one with a grain of salt. I got it from a baby name book and have never been able to verify it. But it's so pretty that it stays on my list for now. If anyone has any more information on Visolela, or any other name on the list, I'd love to hear it.

#African

Replies

- Alcyone +1

6/8/2011, 6:04 PM

I like Marjani, Aina, and Nyah. I like the meaning behind Visolela, but it's kind of difficult to say.

Some of my favorite African names:
Adanna
Ekene
Kamaria
Kayin
Zola

Adanna and Zola are my top faves.

- Bear

6/9/2011, 9:42 AM

Adanna and Zola

Adanna is a real find. It has a great meaning, beautiful sound and is user-friendly in the West. Love it! Kamaria and Ekene are neat too. Kayin is a little too close to Kayla / Kaylee names for me at the moment.

Zola's another favorite of mine. I just didn't realize she was African. Thanks!

- Elena +1

6/8/2011, 4:51 PM

I don't know many African names, however, some of them are lovely. I like Johari, Marjani, Amara, Naima, Imani and Nia. One of the little girls in Anna's Scout troop was called Akosua which I thought was gorgeous.

- Bear

6/9/2011, 9:39 AM

Akosua

I can definitely see the attration in Akosua. Naima too, althought I thought that was Arabic. Arabic culture has such influence in Northern Africa that I suppose it hardly matters.

Thanks for Akosua!

- Amara L. +1

6/8/2011, 12:33 PM

Shandurai is so, so pretty. I'm intrigued to know what it could mean. Google doesn't chuck up anything, and my attempts at trying an online Amharic dictionary suggest that it's not -directly- linked to its meaning and has evolved, or isn't derived from an Amharic word, or I'm trying to transliterate it wrongly... or any of the above. I don't know anything about African names or Amharic either way, so it was always a bit of a fool's errand.

I also like:
Abeni
Afia
Desta
Farai
Imani
Lindiwe
Manyara
Marjani
Sanaa
Subira
Thandiwe
Tinashe
Zuri

- Bear

6/9/2011, 9:37 AM

Subira

So glad you liked Shandurai. If it weren't used in the movie I wouldn't credit it so much. It is really frustrating not to be able to find it in a google search.

Subira is intriguing. It's going on my long list this minute. Thanks!

This message was edited 6/9/2011, 9:37 AM

- yasmine +1

6/8/2011, 12:24 PM

Marjani is lovely! And Aina, I didn't know it was also Yoruban. Very international name. Ones I like from this website are: ** = my favourites
Atieno* Ife*** Abeni* Abena Adaeze Amarachi Añuli Ayodele*** Eshe Esi* Farai Lerato Lesedi Lindiwe Nia Oluchi Thulile*** Zola
and I like Zanele.

This message was edited 6/8/2011, 12:24 PM

- Bear

6/9/2011, 9:34 AM

Ife and Zola

Ife! How could I have forgotten her? And Zola is African? I hadn't realized that. I'll have to move her around on my long list. Thanks for the others. Great names!

This message was edited 6/9/2011, 9:35 AM

- New_Chloe +3

6/8/2011, 11:15 AM

wow that last one. Blows me away!

I'm terrible with African names, I find some I like and then I can never remember them. But I love the meanings - they are like little stories. Let me see what I can find

I like

Abeni "We asked for her, and look, we got her".
Azubuike "the past is your strength"
Ekwueme "He says, he does"
Enitan "Person of story"
Lindiwe "I have waited"
Nkemdilim "Let mine be mine"
Nkiruka "The best is yet to come"
Omolara "A child is family" - brings a tear to mine eye
Worknesh "You are like gold"

I think I have some different ones in books at home, I'd have to take a look.

This message was edited 6/8/2011, 11:15 AM

- Bear +2

6/8/2011, 11:27 AM

You're right about the meanings telling stories. So interesting.

Abeni -- love it, so cute -- a very happy name in sound and meaning

Azubuike -- it sounds strong too

Ekwueme -- is this a girl's name? Or does the "he" in the meaning mean God / a god?

Enitan -- "person of story" -- does that mean the bearer is a character in a story, or she tells stories? Neat to ponder.

Lindiwe -- Looooooove this one

Nkemdilim -- Not crazy about the meaning or what I think is the sound -- but the sound could grow on me

Nkiruka -- not feeling it

Omolara -- pretty and yes, a beautiful meaning

Worknesh -- Since I am here avoiding doing work this one creeps me out a little.

Thanks for the list. I'd only ever heard of Abeni and Lindiwe before.

- New_Chloe +1

6/8/2011, 11:28 AM

Ekwueme is male, so it could refer to the person who bears it.

- Bear

6/8/2011, 11:34 AM

Thanks. I should have clicked the link. :-)

- Joy12 +1

6/8/2011, 11:04 AM

Nope, I've never seen the movie "Beseiged", and I've never heard the name Shandurai. I like it, though. Nyah is probably my favorite African girl name. And, wow, big meaning for a little name! (Visolela isn't that little compared to some names, but still) :P

- Bear

6/8/2011, 11:19 AM

Nyah

Yes, Nyah is attractive. BtN has the more authentic spelling as Nia. I'm normally all about authentic spellings. But in this case I'm more drawn to the Nyah spelling.

Thanks for responding. :-)

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