Ndeye

Wolof for "trustworthy" or "faithful", one of the most common women's given names across Senegal and the wider Wolof-speaking region.

The Wolof form of "Eve"/"Hawa", which symbolizes life, femininity, and motherhood, as it does across several West African cultures that share this Abrahamic-tradition name.

Wolof for "man".

"No one wants (him/her)" — a protective name historically given to a child born after earlier siblings died, meant to make the child seem unwanted to the spirits believed to take infants. Chosen as a pen name by the Senegalese novelist Mariètou Mbaye Biléoma for exactly this traditional meaning.

An honorific title for a woman of religious standing or a notable family — roughly "lady, madame". Naturalised into Wolof and wider Senegalese social life as its own title.

Tamazight for "spring" (the season).

Tamazight for "freedom".

Amharic for "diamond".

Amharic for "orange" (the fruit). Borne by the opposition leader and judge Birtukan Mideksa.

A Hausa feminine given name meaning "gathering" (also used among Yoruba Muslims, reflecting shared Islamic naming influence across northern and southwestern Nigeria).

From ada ("first-born daughter" — a standing every eldest Igbo daughter holds) + eze ("king"): "the king's first daughter" / "princess." Shortened to Ada.

Igbo for "blessing." Can be short for Ngozichukwu, "God's blessing."

Kikuyu for "the happy one".