Melokuhle f & m Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"stand for goodness" in Zulu and Xhosa, from the roots
mela "to stand for, to represent" and
hle "beautiful, good".
Wanjiku f KikuyuMeaning unknown. This is one of
Mumbi's nine daughters in the Kikuyu origin legend.
Afua f AkanMeans
"born on Friday" in Akan.
Omondi m LuoMeans
"born early in the morning" in Luo.
Wamalwa m LuhyaMeans
"born during the brewing season" in Luhya.
Sani 2 m HausaFrom Arabic
ثانٍ (thānin) meaning
"second", a derivative of
اثنان (ithnān) meaning "two". If two or more siblings share the same given name, this name may be appended to that of the second.
Massinissa m Ancient Berber (Latinized), BerberLatinized form of Berber
Masensen meaning
"their lord". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Berber chieftain. He became the first king of Numidia after allying himself with the Roman Republic against Carthage.
Sara f Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Arabic, Persian, Amharic, Tigrinya, Biblical Hebrew, Biblical LatinForm of
Sarah used in various languages.
Fungai m & f ShonaFrom Shona
funga meaning
"think, judge".
Alhaji m HausaMeans
"the pilgrim" in Hausa, a derivative of Arabic
حجّ (ḥajj) meaning "pilgrimage, hajj". It is typically a title, not a name.
Nana 4 m & f AkanFrom an Akan word used as a title of a monarch.
Wambui f KikuyuMeans
"zebra" in Kikuyu. This is one of
Mumbi's nine daughters in the Kikuyu origin legend.
Jummai f HausaFrom Hausa
Jumma'a meaning
"Friday" (of Arabic origin).
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.
Adannaya f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of her father" in Igbo.
Ayele m AmharicMeans
"become strong, become powerful" in Amharic.
Sethunya f TswanaMeans
"bloom, flower" in Tswana, derived from
thunya "to bloom".
Ade 1 m & f YorubaFrom Yoruba
adé meaning
"crown", also a short form of other names beginning with this element.
Ochieng m LuoMeans
"born when the sun shines", derived from Luo
chieng meaning "sun".
Zawadi f & m SwahiliMeans
"gift" in Swahili, derived from Arabic
زواد (zawād) meaning "provisions".
Tanina f BerberFrom the name of a legendary bird, similar to an eagle or a phoenix.
Talatu f HausaFrom Hausa
Talata meaning
"Tuesday" (of Arabic origin).
Unathi m & f XhosaMeans
"he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix
u- meaning "he, she" and
nathi meaning "with us".
Ugochi f IgboMeans
"eagle of God" in Igbo, from
ùgó meaning "eagle, honour" and
Chi 2, referring to God.
Kamaria f ComorianFrom Arabic
qamar meaning
"moon", also the root of the name of the island country of the Comoros.
Refilwe m & f TswanaMeans
"we were given" in Tswana, derived from
filwe "given".
Noxolo f Xhosa, NdebeleFrom the Xhosa and Ndebele feminine prefix
no- combined with
uxolo "peace".
Fadhili m SwahiliMeans
"kindness, favour" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic.
Opeyemi f & m YorubaMeans
"gratitude is suitable for me" in Yoruba.
Farai m & f ShonaFrom Shona
fara meaning
"rejoice, be happy".
Tinashe m & f ShonaMeans
"we are with God", from Shona
ti "we",
na "with" and
ishe "lord, God".
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.
Akli m BerberMeans
"slave, servant, black" in Tamazight.
Njeri f KikuyuMeans
"travelling one" in Kikuyu. Njeri (or Wanjeri) is the name of one of the nine daughters of
Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin legend.
Bello m Fula, HausaPossibly from Fula
ballo meaning
"helper". This name was borne by Muhammad Bello (1781-1837), the second leader of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Awotwi m & f AkanMeans
"eighth born child" in Akan.
Uche m & f IgboMeans
"wisdom, sense, mind" in Igbo.
Nnenna f IgboMeans
"father's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's paternal grandmother.
Chi 2 m & f Igbo Mythology, IgboMeans
"god, spiritual being" in Igbo, referring to the personal spiritual guardian that each person is believed to have. Christian Igbo people use it as a name for the personal Christian god (as opposed to the omnipresent
Chukwu, though the names are used synonymously in some contexts). This can also be a short form of the many Igbo names that begin with this element.
Yared m Biblical Hebrew, EthiopianHebrew form of
Jared. This form is also used in Ethiopia. It was borne by a semi-legendary 6th-century Ethiopian musician who is considered a saint in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Kefilwe m & f TswanaMeans
"I was given" in Tswana, derived from
filwe "given".
Adisa m & f YorubaMeans
"bundled up and set to dry" in Yoruba.
Ekwueme m IgboMeans
"one says, one does" in Igbo, indicating a person who is truthful about his behaviour.
Ekene m & f IgboMeans
"thanks, gratitude" in Igbo.
Wangui f KikuyuFrom Kikuyu
ngũi meaning
"song leader". This is one of
Mumbi's nine daughters in the Kikuyu origin legend.