Balthasar's Personal Name List

Borne by the American actress Zendaya Coleman (1996-), known simply as Zendaya. Her name was apparently inspired by the Shona name Tendai.

Variant transcript of Zayyan.

Means "gift" in Swahili, derived from Arabic زواد (zawād) meaning "provisions" [1].

Variant of Zariah.

From the name of a country in Africa from 1971 to 1997, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is said to be derived from Kikongo nzadi o nzere meaning "river swallowing rivers", referring to the Congo River.

Means "beautiful beyond limits" from Amharic ውብ (wb) meaning "beautiful" and ዳር (dar) meaning "limit, horizon, frontier, shore".

Means "mother has come again" in Yoruba.

Variant of Iemanjá.

Means "mother has awakened" in Yoruba.

Transferred use of the surname Yarrow, and/or from the word for the flowering plant (Achillea millefolium).

Hebrew 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.

Means "abundance" in Hausa.

Means "first of twins" in Luganda.

Means "born during the weeding season", from Luhya enyonyi meaning "weeds".

Means "born during famine", from Luhya injala meaning "hunger, famine".

From Kikuyu ngarĩ meaning "leopard". In the Kikuyu origin legend this is the name of one of the nine daughters of Mumbi.

Means "freedom" in Tumbuka.

Means "zebra" in Kikuyu. This is one of Mumbi's nine daughters in the Kikuyu origin legend.

Means "born during the brewing season" in Luhya.

From Kikuyu irimũ meaning "ogre, giant". In the Kikuyu origin legend Wairimu is of one of the nine daughters of Mumbi.

Means "way of God" in Igbo.

Means "beauty" in Efik.

Meaning youthful or childhood. A person who looks much younger than his age

Means "he or she is with us" in Xhosa, from the prefix u- meaning "he, she" and nathi meaning "with us".

Means "young man" in Urhobo.

Means "eagle of God" in Igbo, from ùgó meaning "eagle, honour" and Chi 2, referring to God.

Means "peace" in Igbo.

Means "wisdom, sense, mind" in Igbo.

The meaning is "to be happy". It was popularized by Tsakani Mhinga. She was a South African singer who died in 2006.
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Means "be happy" in Xitsonga.

Means "returned from overseas". It is often given to children born abroad and brought home.

Means "we thank" in Chewa and Tumbuka.

Feminine form of Idir.

Means "we will see" from Shona ticha "we will" and ona "see".

Short form of Tatiana or Christiana. It was rare in the United States until it jumped in popularity in 1975, perhaps due to the Vietnamese-American actress Tiana Alexandra (1956-), who had some exposure at that time. It was used as the name of the princess in the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog (2009).

From the name of the day of the week, which ultimately derives from Old English þunresdæg meaning literally "Thor's day". A known bearer of this name was Thursday October Christian (1790-1831), the first son of the HMS Bounty mutineer Fletcher Christian and his Tahitian wife Mauatua, who was born on a Thursday in October.

Means "will, desire" in Sotho and Tswana.

Means "loving one" in Xhosa, Zulu and Ndebele, from thanda "to love".

Means "loved" in Zulu and Ndebele.

Means "be happy" in Zulu and Ndebele.

From Amharic ተስፋ (tasfa) meaning "hope".

From Shona tenda meaning "be thankful, thank" [1].

Means "(to) be looked" in Shona.

Means "hope" in Shona [1].

Means "his history, his story" in Amharic.

Means "given" in Shona.

Means "we are thankful" in Tumbuka.

Means "exalt, praise" in Chewa.

Means "we are glad" in Chewa.

Means "flower" in Tamazight.

Means "taste the world, taste life" in Yoruba.

Means "we are pleased" in Shona, from fadza meaning "please, make happy".

Means "revived" in Amharic.

Means "we have been blessed" in Chewa.

Means "patience" in Swahili, from Arabic صبر (ṣabara).

Means "born during the dry season" in Luhya.

Means "rest in wealth" in Yoruba.

Means "follow me home" in Yoruba.

Simidele Adeagbo is a Canadian-born Nigerian skeleton racer who competed at 2018 Winter Olympics. She is Nigeria and Africa’s first female skeleton athlete, as well as the first black female athlete in the sport of skeleton.

Means "power, strength" in Shona [1].

Means "wish" in Zulu.

Allegedly means "wonder" in Swahili.

Combination of the popular phonetic elements sha and nay.

Means "bloom, flower" in Tswana, derived from thunya "to bloom".

Means "laugh" in Tumbuka.

The name Originates from Tiv and it means "Peaceful Bird" or "One of a kind"

Means "conquer" in Yoruba, also a short form of Olusegun or Oluwasegun.

From Arabic ثانٍ (thānin) meaning "second", a derivative of اثنان (ithnān) meaning "two" [1]. If two or more siblings share the same given name, this name may be appended to that of the second.

Likely a transferred use of the surname.

Means "he who is never defeated" in Haya.

Means "seek for, look for" in Tumbuka.

Means "flower" in Sotho.

Means "powerful man" or "strong man" in Mende.

Literally means "she (who) tore" in Yoruba.

In Yoruba mythology, Oya, a Great Yoruban Orisha, is the undergoddess of the Niger River. The wife of Shango, and elder sister to goddesses Yemayá and Oshun. She is the goddess of storms and winds, and her realm ranges from rainbows to thunder, as well as the marketplace where she steers the changing fortunes made through business. She is believed to be able to manifest as winds, ranging from a gentle breeze to a raging hurricane or cyclone. She's known as a fierce warrior goddess and a protector of women as the Orisha of rebirth and new life, and she is believed to bring about change.

Oya has been syncretized in Santería with the Catholic images of the Virgin of Candelaria.

Form of Uthman used in parts of French-influenced West Africa.

Means "who is greater than God?" in Igbo.

Means "born early in the morning" in Luo.

Means "child is family" in Yoruba.

Means "God makes wealth" in Yoruba.

Possibly a form of the Igbo name Olaedo. This was borne by former slave, anti-slavery campaigner and autobiographer Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797), the son of a West African village chief.

Means "boy (born on) Orie" in Igbo, Orie being one of the four days of the Igbo week.

Means "boy (born on) Eke" in Igbo, Eke being one of the four days of the Igbo week.

Variant of Njinga.

Derived from Swahili and Lingala nyota meaning "star".

Means "born on Saturday" in Luhya.

The name of a character from two 15-part movie serials in the early 1940s: Jungle Girl (1941) and Perils of Nyoka (1942). The serials were based on the novel Jungle Girl (1932) by Edgar Rice Burroughs, in which the titular character was named Fou-tan. The meaning of the name is not uncertain, but it has been suggested that it was inspired by the word nyoka which means "snake" in multiple African languages including Swahili, Shona, Kikuyu and Tsonga.

From Shona nyara meaning "be shy, be quiet, be humble" [1].

From Kikuyu mbura meaning "rain". This is the name of one of the nine daughters of Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin legend.

From Ekegusii oboke "honey"

Means "sibling is greater" in Igbo.

From the name of the ancient region and kingdom in Africa, south of Egypt. It possibly derives from the Egyptian word nbw meaning "gold".

Means "seventh born child" in Akan.

Means "sixth born child" in Akan.

Means "merciful" in Ndebele.

Means "mother's mother" in Igbo. This name is given in honour of the child's maternal grandmother.

Means "my father is alive" in Igbo. This name is given to a child when it is believed that he is a reincarnation of his grandfather.

Means "princess" in Xhosa.

Means "that to come is greater" in Igbo.

Short form of Nkechinyere.

Means "travelling one" in Kikuyu. Njeri (or Wanjeri) is the name of one of the nine daughters of Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin legend.

Means "purpose, aim" in Swahili, borrowed from Arabic نيّة (nīya) [1].

From Shona netsa meaning "trouble, annoy, bother" [1].

Feminine form of Wekesa [1].

Feminine form of Simiyu.

Feminine form of Wanjala.

Protector of the village

Means "born during the weeding season", from Luhya liliaka meaning "weeding".

From the name of the capital city of Kenya, derived from Maasai enkare nyrobi meaning "cold water".

Feminine form of Wafula.

From the Chewa word for a type of flowering tree (species Breonadia salicina).

Means "opportunity" in Chewa.

From Egyptian mwt-nḏmt meaning "Mut is sweet", from the name of the goddess Mut combined with nḏm "sweet, pleasant". This name was borne by the wife of the pharaoh Horemheb.

Means "mother-in-law" in Kikuyu.

From Egyptian mwt-m-wjꜣ meaning "Mut is in the sacred barque" [1], from the name of the goddess Mut combined with wjꜣ "sacred barque" (a boat used to carry the dead to the afterlife). This name was borne by a wife of the pharaoh Thutmose IV. She was the mother of Amenhotep III.

Musoke is the God of Rain in Ganda mythology. His Name derives From ‘mu’, indicating a single individual, and ‘soke’, which means ‘rain’.

Possibly means "the one who milks the cows" in Kikuyu.

Meaning unknown. This is the name of a figure in Ganda mythology associated with forests and hunting [1].

Means "peace" in Chewa.

Probably a Latinate form of Monime, first used by Thomas Otway for the title character in his tragic play The Orphan (1680). It was subsequently used by the Scottish author Tobias Smollett (also for an orphan character) in his novel The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom (1753), and later by English poet and novelist Charlotte Smith for the heroine of her novel The Old Manor House (1793), which was a huge bestseller in the last decade of the 18th century. The 1850 United States census shows about 40 women and girls with variants of this name.

Means "I wake up to wealth" in Yoruba.

From Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo, known professionally as Mohombi, a Swedish-Congolese singer-songwriter and dancer.

Diminutive of Melinda.

Derived from Tamazight meẓyan meaning "young, little".

Means "leader of the nation" in Xhosa.

Meaning unknown, possibly an invented name. This name was popularized by the American actor Mekhi Phifer (1974-).

Means "flower" in Zulu.

Means "joy; happiness" in Kongo.

Means "God lives" in Ewe.

Latinized form of Berber Masensen meaning "their lord" [1]. 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.

Means "tears" in Tumbuka.

Means "blessings" in Tswana, from sego "blessed".

Means "leaves, vegetables" in Yao.

Means "you have been humbled" in Shona.

Title for "king" or "ruler", now also used as a name. Can also mean "third daughter" in Twi, which is in the Akan language family.

From the Malagasy mamy meaning "sweet" or "well-liked" and haja meaning "respect, honour".

Means "happy one" in Kikuyu.

Possibly means "greatness" in Ethiopic. This was the name of an Ethiopian queen of the 10th-century BC. She is probably the same person as the Queen of Sheba, who visited Solomon in the Old Testament.

Means "sing, dance" in Kikuyu. Kikuyu males were traditionally organized into age sets or generations, each lasting about 30 years. The Maina generation occupied the last part of the 19th century.

Means "blessings" in Chewa.

Means "born face down" in Ewe.

Means "companion" or "to keep company" in Kabyle, possibly of Arabic origin.

Means "light" in Tswana.

From Oromo leellisaa meaning "admirer".

Short form of Olamilekan.

Variant of Lawal.

Ndyuka equivalent of the Fante (Akan) name Kwasi.

Means "born on Tuesday" in Akan.

Ewe form of Kwasi.

Means "be happy, rejoice" in Chewa and Tumbuka.

Allegedly means "mine" in Oromo.

Means "gift" in Rutooro [1].

Diminutive of Chepkirui and Kipkirui.

Means "gift" in Luganda.

From the name of the capital city of the African country, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city was named after a village (which is also named Kinshasa) that once existed there, which now has become a commune. The name itself is derived from Kikongo particles, ki as the locative word and nshasa meaning "salt".

Variant of Qiana [1].

Means "king, chief" in Tswana.

From the name of the African country. The country is named for Mount Kenya, which in the Kikuyu language is called Kĩrĩnyaga meaning "the one having stripes". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 1960s.

Means "heavy, serious" in Amharic.

Means "answer" in Sotho and Tswana.

Meaning unknown. This was the birth name of the Kenyan president Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978).

Derived from Arabic الكاهنة (al-Kāhina) meaning "the diviner, the fortuneteller". This was a title applied to the 7th-century Berber queen Dihya, who resisted the Arab expansion into North Africa.

Means "woman who behaves like a slave raider" in Kasem.

Means "peace" in Tswana.

Variant of Khadija.

Means "allotment, share, gift" in Sotho and Tswana.

Means "Tuesday" in Swahili.

From the English word jubilee meaning "season of rejoicing", which is derived from Hebrew יוֹבֵל (yovel) "ram, ram's horn; a jubilee year: a year of rest, prescribed by the Jewish Bible to occur each fiftieth year, after seven cycles of seven years; a period of celebration or rejoicing" (via Late Latin iubilaeus and Greek ἰώβηλος (iobelos)). In Latin, the form of the word was altered by association with the unrelated Latin verb iubilare "to shout with joy".

It may also refer to African-American folk songs known as Jubilees.

In popular culture, Jubilee is the 'mutant' name (a contraction of Jubilation Lee) of one of the protagonists of Marvel's X-Men line of comics.

Means "rear yourself" or "be self reliant" in Tumbuka. Can be given to orphans, or to children expected to be independent early in life.

Variant of Jacquot.

Means "lion" in Tamazight [1].

Means "mother has returned" in Yoruba.

Means "star" in Tamazight.

Means "hope" in Swahili.

Form of Yemayá found in Uruguay. Also compare Iemanjá.

Means "faith" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic إيمان (ʾīmān).

Means "power of the father" in Igbo.

Means "love" in Igbo (literally "to see in one's eye").

Variant of Aisha. It was popularized by the song Iesha (1991) by Another Bad Creation [1].

Means "alive" in Tamazight.

Feminine form of Gadisa.

From Shona fara meaning "rejoice, be happy" [1].

Means "you are my sister" in Amharic.

French form of Aisopos.

Notable bearer is Erinayo Wilson Oryema, Uganda's first African Inspector General of Police.

Means "it is good for me" in Ewe.

Means "person with a story, storied person" in Yoruba.

Short form of Chukwuemeka and other Igbo names ending with the same element.

From a Greek form of a Hebrew name meaning "God is grandeur". The Gospel of Matthew lists him as an ancestor of Jesus. This name is popular in Kenya.

Means "thanks, gratitude" in Igbo.

Means "gift" in Idoma.

Variant of Afua.

Variant of Ebere.

Means "praise" in Zulu and Ndebele.

Means "given by God" in French, used as a French form of Deusdedit. It is currently much more common in French-speaking Africa than it is in France.

Western African form of Zahra.

Variant of Dion.

From Shona dana meaning "call, summon" [1][2].

Combination of Christine and Anne 1 used in South Africa.

Means "God continues to save" in Igbo.

Means "good God" in Igbo, derived from Chi 2, referring to God, and ọ́má meaning "good, beautiful".

Means "God holds a portion" in Igbo.

Means "God is more beautiful" in Igbo.

Meaning gift or freely given

Means "born at night" in Swahili.

French diminutive of Catherine.

Variant of Camisha.

Means "wealth, richness, well-being" in Punu.

Alternate transcription of Arabic بشرى (see Bushra) chiefly used in North Africa.

Variant of Abosede.

English corruption of Abena. This was used by early slaves in the American south. Attested in the 1730's in South Carolina.

Short form of Gubena or Abena. This was used by early slaves in the American South - attested in the 1730s in South Carolina. It was frequently misanalyzed as Venus.

Variant of Bibi.

Means "luck, good fortune" in Swahili, ultimately from Persian بخت (bakht).

Means "joy has come again" in Yoruba.

Meaning uncertain. In 1970 it was featured in The Book of African Names by Chief Osuntoki [1][2] with a listed meaning of "beautiful flower". American comedian and activist Dick Gregory used it for his daughter in 1971.

Means "they are increasing" in Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele.

Feminine form of Otieno.

Means "victory" in Eggon.

From 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" [1].

From the name of an African people who reside in southern Ghana. It possibly means "warlike" in the Twi language.

From Swahili ishi meaning "live, exist", derived from Arabic عاش (ʿāsha).

Means "she is still beautiful" in Nguni.

From Hausa Asabar meaning "Saturday" (of Arabic origin).

Means "expanded, increased" or "extension" in Xhosa.

Means "lion" in Tigrinya.

Means "the first" in Kabyle.

Means "cheetah" in Tamazight [1].

Means "grace" in Igbo.

Means "God knows" in Nyoro, Tooro, Nkore, and Kiga.

Means "power, strength" in Xhosa and Zulu.

A famous bearer is Amandla Stenberg (b. 1998) an American actress and singer.

Means "born on Saturday" in Akan.

Means "spring (season)" in Ovambo.

Means "she must be introduced" in Nguni.

Means "eldest daughter of the king" in Igbo.

Means "comes with the start of the week" in Yoruba, given when the child is born on Sunday.

Means "Where do I stay?" in Alur language. It is given to someone who is born to a parent or parents who are disliked by, or in conflict with, their familymembers or community.

Means "flower" in Amharic.