Amina 1 f Arabic, Bosnian, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Ingush, Kazakh, Urdu, Swahili, HausaDerived from Arabic
أمن (ʾamina) meaning
"safe, secure". This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's mother, who died when he was young.
Ashura f SwahiliFrom the name of an Islamic holy day that commemorates the death of
Husayn ibn Ali. It is so named because it falls on the tenth day of Muharram, deriving from Arabic
عشرة (ʿashara) meaning "ten".
Bakari m SwahiliFrom the Swahili name for the constellation Boötes.
Blessing m & f English (African)From the English word
blessing, of Old English origin. This name is most common in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa.
Comfort f English (African)From the English word
comfort, ultimately from Latin
confortare "to strengthen greatly", a derivative of
fortis "strong". It was used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. It is now most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Fadhili m SwahiliMeans
"kindness, favour" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic.
Favour m & f English (African)From the English word
favour, ultimately from Latin
faveo "to favour". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Filbert m Eastern AfricanPossibly a form of
Philibert. It is particularly used in Tanzania due to track star Filbert Bayi (1953-), who set a world record running the 1500 meter in 1974.
Friday m English (African)From the English word for the day of the week, which was derived from Old English
frigedæg meaning "
Frig's day". Daniel Defoe used it for a character in his novel
Robinson Crusoe (1719). As a given name, it is most often found in parts of Africa, such as Nigeria and Zambia.
Gift m & f English (African)From the English word
gift, of Old Norse origin. This name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Ibrahim m Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, Pashto, Urdu, Kazakh, Tatar, Bashkir, Avar, Bosnian, Dhivehi, Albanian, Hausa, SwahiliArabic form of
Abraham, also used in several other languages. This form appears in the Quran.
Innocent m History (Ecclesiastical), English (African)From the Late Latin name
Innocentius, which was derived from
innocens "innocent". This was the name of several early saints. It was also borne by 13 popes including Innocent III, a politically powerful ruler and organizer of the Fourth Crusade.
... [more] Memory f English (African)From the English word
memory, ultimately from Latin
memor "mindful, remembering". This name is most common in Malawi, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa.
Monday m & f English (African)From the English word for the day of the week, which was derived from Old English
mona "moon" and
dæg "day". This can be given to children born on Monday, especially in Nigeria.
Peace f English (African)From the English word
peace, ultimately derived from Latin
pax. This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Praise f & m English (African)From the English word
praise, which is ultimately derived (via Old French) from Late Latin
preciare, a derivative of Latin
pretium "price, worth". This name is most common in English-speaking Africa.
Promise f & m English (African)From the English word
promise, from Latin
promissum. It is currently most common in parts of English-influenced Africa.
Simba 2 m SwahiliMeans
"lion" in Swahili. This is the name of the main character in the Disney movie
The Lion King (1994), about a lion cub who exiles himself after his father is murdered.
Tumaini f & m SwahiliMeans
"wish, hope" in Swahili, from Arabic
طمع (ṭamiʿa) meaning "to desire".
Zawadi f & m SwahiliMeans
"gift" in Swahili, derived from Arabic
زواد (zawād) meaning "provisions".
Zuhura f Swahili, DhivehiMeans
"Venus (planet)" in Swahili and Dhivehi. Both are borrowed from Arabic
الزهرة (al-Zuhara), derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".