African Submitted Names

African names are used on the continent of Africa, covering a wide number of languages. See also about African names.
gender
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Santu m & f Lingala
Means "saint" in Lingala.
Sanura f Muslim, Swahili
Meaning, "kitten."
Sanusi m Indonesian, Malay, Nigerian, Fula, Hausa
From Arabic سَنُوسِيّ (sannūsī), the name of a Sufi order and clan that existed in Libya and the Sudan region. The sect was named after its founder, Muslim theologian Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi (1787-1859).
Saone f African
Seems to be predominantly used in Botswana.
Sarabi f Swahili, Popular Culture
Means "mirage" in Swahili. This is the name of the mother of Simba and mate of Mufasa and in the Disney movie The Lion King (1994).
Sarafina f Swahili
Apparently means "bright star" in Swahili. The name might be best known from the South African musical "Sarafina!" Also, the name is often easily confused with the Hebrew name Seraphina, but despite looking similar in appearance, both names clearly have completely different etymologies.
Saran f Western African, Manding, Jula
Means "joy" in Jula.
Saratu f Hausa
Hausa form of Sara.
Saredo f Somali
Etymology uncertain, possibly from the Somali sare meaning "high, advanced".
Sarel m Afrikaans
Afrikaans form of Charles.
Sariaha f African, English (African)
Name introduced in the early 2010s.
Sarki m Hausa
Means "chief" in Hausa.
Saro m Ogoni
Means "first son" in Khana.
Sarraounia f Hausa
From the name of Sarraounia Mangou, a Nigerian chief or priestess who fought the French colonial troops of the Voulet–Chanoine Mission at the Battle of Lougou in 1899. According to Wikipedia, her name means "queen" or "female chief".
Sarudzai f Shona
Means "Be selective or discriminate". #Depending on circumstances the name may be a call to be selective in what you do or maybe blaming someone for being discriminating"
Sarura f Shona
It means "choose; make a selection".
Sasavona m & f Tsonga
Means "helper" in Xitsonga.
Saseka f Tsonga
Means "pretty" in Xitsonga.
Sasekani f Tsonga
Means "beautiful" in Xitsonga.
Sasekisa f Tsonga
Means "beautiful, decorate" in Xitsonga.
Satou f Western African
Short form of Isatou.... [more]
Sauti f Swahili
Swahili feminine name meaning "voice, noise".
Sayina f Tsonga
Means "sign" in Xitsonga.
Sayo f & m Yoruba
Means "make joy" in Yoruba.
Schalk m German (Archaic), Afrikaans
From Old German scalc meaning "servant".
Schola f African
Latin word used in reference to singing and learning. May be used as a diminutive of Scholastica.
Sebaga m & f Tswana
Means "a bead" in Setswana.
Sebie f Ethiopian
Meaning "Autumn".
Sebolai m Sotho
Means "assassin" in Sotho.
Sebutlana f Tswana
Means "small rabbit" in Setswana.
Sechaba m Sotho
The meaning is 'nation' as in 'our nation', 'the country we live in'.
Sedireng m Tswana
Means "do it" in Setswana.
Seef m & f Afrikaans (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare), Limburgish (Rare)
This name is more often seen on men than on women. For men, the name is a short form of Josephus and in some cases also of Severinus and its Dutch form Severijn... [more]
Seetsele f Tswana
Means "medal" in Setswana.
Sefanja m & f Swedish (Rare), Afrikaans, Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)
Swedish, Afrikaans and Dutch form of Zephaniah.
Sefeniya f Kongo
God has hidden
Sega m Wolof, Manding
Unknown meaning, possibly related to the Wolof word ségg ("tiger, leopard").
Segametsi f Tswana
Means "that which draws water" in Setswana.
Segolame f Tswana
Means "my luck" in Setswana.
Segomotso f Tswana
Means "comfort" in Setswana.
Segula f Jewish, Northern African
Hebrew word name, it has several meanings.... [more]
Sehin f Amharic
Means "incense" in Amharic.
Sehlolo m Sotho
Means "disaster" in Sotho.
Sehma m African
Variant of Sahma.
Seiakumokumo f Ijaw
Means "do not take me in a bad way" in Ijaw.
Seihia f Tiv
The name Originates from Tiv and it means "Peaceful Bird" or "One of a kind"
Seilatsatsi f Sotho
Meaning unknown. Seilatsatsi is a character in some Sotho tales.
Seithati f Tswana
Means "loves herself" in Tswana.
Sekaryaah m Somali
Somali form of Zechariah.
Sekelelani m Chewa, Tumbuka
Means "be happy, boisterous" or "laugh" in Chewa and Tumbuka.
Sekkura f Kabyle
Possibly means "partridge" in Kabyle.
Seko m & f Western African
child of the sun
Sekou m Fula
Fula form of the Arabic title Sheikh.
Seku m Fula
Older form of Sekou.
Sekwo m African
from kasem language in northern part of Ghana that is upper east region of Ghana in the west africa
Selam f & m Eastern African, Amharic
Means "peace" in Amharic.
Sele f & m Ijaw
Means "judge or plan carefully" in Ijaw.
Selebaleng f Tswana
Means "don't forget" in Setswana.
Seledebo m & f Ijaw
Means "the chosen one" in Ijaw.
Selekumo m Ijaw
Means "don't abound me" in Dagbani.
Selemo f Tswana
Means "summer" in Setswana.
Sella f African, Southern African, Eastern African, Indonesian
Meaning unknown. It may be a loan word from Arabic صَلَّى‎ (ṣallā), meaning "to pray, to bless," or Arabic سَلَّى‎ (sallā), meaning "to amuse, entertain, comfort." It may also be a variation of Selah.
Sélom m Western African
Komi Sélom Klassou is Prime Minister of Togo.
Selom m & f Western African
A Western African name used for both genders.
Selorm m & f Western African, Ewe
Means "God loves me" or "divine love" in Ewe.
Semakaleng m & f Sotho
Means "surprise" in Sotho.
Semegne m Amharic
Means "while I was wishing" in Amharic.
Semere m African, Ethiopian
ethiopian name. meaning Everything goes fine
Semhar f & m Tigrinya
Means "Eritrean region" in Tigrinya.
Semira f Amharic, Turkish, Bosnian
Feminine form of Semir.
Semshak m African, Nigerian, Ngas
A common name used among the Jos Plateau people of Nigeria. Means "stay together".
Sena f & m Ewe
Means "destiny gives" in Ewe.
Senai m Tigrinya, Ethiopian
Means "gift from Above" in Tigrinya.
Senatla f Tswana
Means "hard worker" in Setswana.
Senyagwa m Kaguru
Means "eloquent" in Chikaguru.
Senzeni m & f Ndebele
Means "what did we do?" in Ndebele.
Sereba m & f Akan
Means "silver" in Akan.
Seretse m Tswana
Means “the clay that binds" in Tswana.... [more]
Serval m Western African
Directly taken from the name of the African cat species.
Sesan m Yoruba
Means "God has avenged me" in Yoruba.
Sethekele f Ndebele
"We visited"
Sethina f Western African
Meaning as of yet unknown. This name is predominantly used in Ghana.
Setifene m Sotho
Sotho form of Stephen.
Setjhaba m Sotho
Means "nation" in Sesotho.
Setshaba m Tswana
Means "nation" in Setswana.
Setshego f Tswana
Means "laughter" in Setswana.
Setshwano f Tswana
Means "resemblance" in Setswana.
Setugne m Amharic
Means "they gave me" in Amharic.
Sevuri m Pare
Etymology uncertain, this name is traditionally given to babies born during the rainy season.
Sewelo f Tswana
Means "rare" in Setswana.
Seyi f & m Yoruba
Short form of Oluwaseyi.
Seynab f Somali
Somali form of Zaynab.
Seyni m Songhai, Western African
Meaning unknown.
Shaadiyya f Somali
Somali form of Shadya.
Shacbaan m Somali
Somali form of Shaban, the name of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar.
Shadari m Hausa
Means "born during the cold season" in Hausa.
Shadein f Shona, Chewa
Means "child of God" in Shona and Chewa.
Shadreck m English (African), Southern African
Variant of Shadrach. It is particularly popular in Southern African countries.
Shafawu f African
Am a Ghanaian and from the northern region of Ghana.
Shairi f African
Means "song" in Swahili.
Shameel m Indian (Muslim), Urdu, South African
Variant transcription of Shamil.
Shamiel m South African
Meaning unknown.
Shamiso f Shona
Means "amazing" in Shona.
Shandukani m & f Venda
Means "to change" in Tshivenda.
Shané f African American, Afrikaans
Probably a variant spelling of Shanae.
Shango m Western African
The name of a fire god in the traditional Yoruba religion.
Shani f African American, Swahili (?)
Allegedly means "wonder" in Swahili.
Shankaroon f Somali
Means "better than five" in Somali. It is also used as endearment to express the worth of the one child is better than five.... [more]
Shanono m & f Hausa
Means "drink milk" in Hausa. This name is traditionally given to a child born when calves are being delivered.
Shareu m Amharic
Means "God exonerated him" in Amharic.
Sharifiya f Hausa
Means "born during Ramadan" in Hausa.
Sharlto m South African (Rare)
Alternative Anglicization of Sìoltach.
Sharmaarke m Somali
A name that means "see no evil" or "protect from evil." The prefix shar- means "evil."
Sharmarke m Eastern African, Somali
Variant spelling of Sharmaarke, used outside of Somalia.
Shebashi m Amharic
Means "thousand by thousand" in Amharic.
Shekarau m Hausa
From the Hausa shḕkarà meaning “spend the year”.
Shelini f South African (Rare), Fijian (Rare), Indian (Rare)
Possibly related to the Indian name Shalini.
Shermake m Somali
Means "someone who is really lucky and brings good fortune along with them" in Somali.
Shermarke m Somali
Means "one who brings good fortune" in Somali.
Shevan m Persian, African
From the Persian, meaning "lion".
Shibkan m Hausa
Means "beans in the sowing season" in Hausa.
Shida m & f Swahili, Persian
The name is originated from Arabic language meaning horrible, suffering, hardness or struggles
Shiluva m & f Tsonga
Means "flower" in Xitsonga.
Shima m & f Tiv
Shima means heart in Tiv language
Shingirayi f & m Shona
Means "be strong" in Shona.
Shingirirai f Shona
Means "perseverance" in Shona.
Shitobu m Dagbani
Name of the founder of Dagbong Kingdom
Shoko m & f Shona
It means "word", a longer form of the name is Shokorashe.
Shola m & f Yoruba, African
Short form of names that end with "sola", such as Olusola or Adesola. R&B singer Shola Ama is a well-known bearer.
Shorai m & f African
it delive from shona tribe name in Zimbabwe and it means criticise
Shotah f & m South African
Meaning as of yet unknown.
Shumba m Shona
It means "lion".
Shumbusho f & m Rwandan, African
God's consolation. Used both as a family name or a first name.
Shumirai f Shona
Meaning “praise” or “express admiration, adoration or reverence.”
Shumise f Xhosa
10 shillings or 10 bob, created by the father of Alice Jean Shumise Madinga.... [more]
Shungudzemwoyo m Shona
Means "yearnings of the heart" in Shona.
Siaka m Western African
Siaka, meaning ''chief'', was the one who made the tribes in primarily West Africa. In old culture every family had to name at least one son Siaka.
Sias m Afrikaans, Dutch (Rare), German (Archaic)
Short form of Josias. Known bearers of this name include the Dutch sculptor Sias Fanoembi (1949-2013) and the South African statesman Sias Hoffman (1807-1879).
Sibagege f Nyakyusa
Means "let matters face you" in Nyakyusa.
Sibakhulule m & f Ndebele
Means "we have liberated them" in Ndebele.
Sibhakabhaka f Zulu
Means "sky" in Zulu.
Sibiri m Dagbani
"Saturday Born" Sibdoo
Sibongiseni m Zulu
Meaning "(you), be thankful with us" in Zulu.
Siboniso m South African, Zulu
Means "being a leader" in Zulu.
Sicalo m Swazi
A famous bearer is Sicalo Dlamini (1987-) son of Mswati III, King of Eswatini and his first wife Queen laMatsebula.
Siendou m Manding
This name is originally from the Arabic name Said. Among West Africa's Manding people, mainly in Northern Cote d'Ivoire in places like Kong, Dabakala, Satama Sokura and Sokoro. A variant of the name in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea where the same Mande people with differing dialects live, Seydou... [more]
Sifa m & f Swahili
Means "Praise"
Sifaw m Ancient Berber, Berber
Means "torch; ray of light" in Amazigh.
Sihawukele m Ndebele
Means "have mercy on us" in Ndebele.
Sihon m Western African
Masculine name often found in Burkina Faso & neighboring regions.
Síilene m & f Bandial
Means "they (cows) make (birds) fly" in Bandial.
Sijuola f Yoruba
Means "wealth opener" or "open the eyes of wealth" in Yoruba.
Sikena f English (American, Rare), African
Transferred use of the surname Sikena.
Sikhalele m Tsonga
Means "outcry" in Xitsonga.
Sikhangezile f Ndebele
Means "we're receiving" in Ndebele.
Sikhethiwe f Ndebele
Means "we are chosen" in Ndebele.
Sikhulekile f Ndebele
Means "we prayed" in Ndebele.
Sikhululekile m & f Ndebele
Means "we are free" in Ndebele.
Siku m & f Swahili
Means "day" in Swahili.
Silam f & m Eastern African, Amharic
Means "peace" in Amharic.
Silibele m Ndebele
Means "we're unaware" in Ndebele.
Silina m Berber
Means "the sunsets " or "charm "
Silina f Berber
Means "sunset" or "charm"
Silindile f Xhosa, Zulu
Means "we are waiting" in Xhosa and Zulu.
Siman f Berber (Rare)
Siman stands for 'two souls', referring to parents, the name in away implies the child is their combination or fruit.
Simangaliso f Ndebele
Means "miracle" in Ndebele.
Simangele f South African, Zulu
Means "surprise" in Zulu.
Simbarashe m Shona
Means "power of God" in Shona
Simbiso f Shona
Means "One who strengthens or source of encouragement".
Simbo m Chaga
Means "harvest, divine gift" in Chagga.
Simdingile m & f Xhosa, Zulu
Possibly means "we need this", derived from Xhosa and Zulu dinga meaning "to need, to require".
Simera f Arabic, Amharic, Ethiopian
Means "good listener" in Arabic.
Simi f Yoruba
Short form of Simidele.
Simidele f Yoruba
Means "follow me home" in Yoruba. ... [more]
Simileoluwa f & m Yoruba
I rest on the Lord
Simo f Kaguru
Means "story, legend" in Chikaguru.
Simosihle f South African, Zulu
Means "beautiful feeling" in Zulu.
Simphiwe m & f Zulu
Meaning "we have been given him/her" in Zulu.
Simretab m Ge'ez
Means "service of the Father" in Ge'ez.
Simukai m Shona
Means "rise up" in Shona.
Simuyobewe m & f Rundi
Means "I know him/her" in Kirundi.
Sinazo f Xhosa
Means "we have it" in Xhosa.
Sindisa m & f Southern African (Rare), Zulu (Rare)
From Zulu sindisa meaning "save, redeem, rescue".
Sindisiwe f Zulu
Means "saved" in Zulu.
Sindiswa f Southern African, Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi
Means "saved" in Zulu and Xhosa.
Sinedu f Eastern African
Ethiopian name.
Sinegugu f Zulu
Means "we have treasures" in Zulu.
Sinenhlanhla f Zulu
Means "we have luck" in Zulu, from sine "we have" and inhlanhla "luck".
Sinethemba f South African, Zulu
Means "we have hope" in Zulu.
Sinmiloluwa f & m Yoruba
Means "rest in the lord" in Yoruba.
Sintayehu f Ethiopian
Meaning "what I have been through" or "what I have seen."
Siphamandla m South African, Zulu
Means "give us strength" in Zulu.
Siphelele m Zulu
Means "we are complete" in Zulu.
Siphephelo f Zulu
Means "refuge" in Zulu.
Siphesihle m Zulu
Means "beautiful gift" in Zulu.
Siphilanzima m & f Ndebele
Means "we are surviving hardships" in Ndebele.
Siphokazi f Zulu
Feminine form of Sipho.
Siphosami f Shona
Means "my gift, present" in Shona.
Siphosomzi m Zulu
Means "freedom, joyful, hard worker" in Zulu.
Sípimbore m & f Bandial
Means "they (cows) face each other" in Bandial.
Sira f Ogoni
Means "first daughter" in Khana.
Siraad f Somali
Means "lantern" in Somali.
Siri f African
Kenya-Tanzania... [more]
Sirlord m Western African
Probably composed from the English words sir and lord.
Sisaye f Amharic
The feminine form of Sisay.
Sisi f African
Means "born on a Sunday" in Fante.
Sisipho f Xhosa, Zulu, Southern African
Means "it is a gift" in Zulu and Xhosa.
Sitefanu m Yoruba (Rare)
Yoruba form of Stephen.
Sithabisile f Ndebele
Means "we are very happy" in Ndebele.
Sithandazile f Ndebele
Means "we prayed" in Ndebele.
Sithandilizwe m & f Ndebele
Means "we love our country" in Ndebele.
Sithenjiwe f Ndebele
Means "we are trusted" in Ndebele.
Sitota m Amharic
Means "gift" in Amharic.
Sitshengisiwe f Ndebele
Means "we were shown" in Ndebele.
Sivuyile m South African, Xhosa
Means "we are happy" in Xhosa.
Siya f & m English (American, Modern, Rare), South African
As an English feminine name, it is likely a modern respelling of Sia.... [more]
Siyamthanda f & m Xhosa
Means "we love him/her" in Xhosa.
Siyanda m Zulu
Means "we are increasing" in Zulu.
Siyavuya m Xhosa
Means "we are happy" in Xhosa.
Sizakele f & m Zulu
Means "be helped, be assisted" in Zulu.
Sizani f Zulu
Means "you all help" in Zulu.
Skhumbuzo m Xhosa, Zulu
Means "reminder, remembrance" in Zulu and Xhosa.
S'kulekile m Zulu
Means “it’s good” in Zulu.
Smiso m South African
Means "rule".
Sogo m & f Yoruba
Means "makes glory", a short form of Oluwasogo.
Solomoni m Nyakyusa
Nyakyusa form of Solomon.
Solomzi m Xhosa
Means "eye of the home" in Xhosa, figuratively "guardian of the family".
Solonzi m Xhosa (Modern)
Possibly a variant of Solomzi.
Somayina f & m Igbo
The name of Igbo origin means "I am not alone."
Somto m Igbo
The name Somto is a name with Igbo origin. In Igbo, Somto is a shortened form of Somtochukwu, which translates to "Join me in praising God" or "Rejoice with me in the Lord."
Somtochukwu f & m Western African, Igbo
Means "praise God with me" in Igbo.
Sona f Western African
Meaning unknown.... [more]
Songa'nzila f Kongo
Means “the guide” in Kongo.
Sonnika f Afrikaans
Either an elaboration of Sonya or derived from the German word Sonne "sun".
Sonomo f & m Ijaw
Means "seven" in Ijaw. It is typically given to a seventh child, or a child born prematurely in the seventh month.
Sonwabile m Xhosa
Means "we are content" or "we are happy" in Xhosa.
Sooyaan m Somali
Means "make up" in Somali.
Sope m & f Yoruba
Means "be grateful" in Yoruba.
Sordum f & m Ogoni
Means "time of life" in Khana.