African names and their meanings

Given to the first-born of twins (female form of Opio).

Given to the second-born of twins, from "cen", meaning "behind", reflecting the second twin's position in birth order.

Given to a child born after a set of twins. One of the best-known Acholi names outside Uganda (borne by former Ugandan president Tito Okello).

Given to the first-born of twins. Acholi naming strongly marks birth order and the circumstances of birth, and twin births carry their own dedicated set of names.

From aba ("has come") + bio ("again"): "has come again." Given to a child born after an older sibling died, understood as that child returned.

Given to a girl born on Tuesday, the female counterpart to Kwabena.

Given to a girl born on Monday, the female counterpart to Kwadwo. Also spelled Adjoa.

Given to a girl born on Friday, the female counterpart to Kofi. Also spelled Afia or Efua.

Given to a girl born on Sunday, the female counterpart to Kwasi. Sunday's day-spirit is associated with the universe as a whole.

Given to a girl born on Wednesday, the female counterpart to Kwaku.

Given to a girl born on Saturday, the female counterpart to Kwame.

The fourth-born child.

A male twin. The set is completed by Panyin (the elder) and Kakra (the younger).

A female twin (female form of Ata).

The younger of a pair of twins, from kakra ("small, junior"). Paired with Panyin.

Given to a boy born on Friday. Friday's day-spirit is associated with growth and fertility.

Given to a boy born on Tuesday. Tuesday's day-spirit is associated with the ocean. Also spelled Kobina.

Given to a boy born on Monday. Monday's day-spirit is associated with peace. Also spelled Kojo.

Given to a boy born on Wednesday. Wednesday's day-spirit is associated with the trickster spider Ananse, the central figure of Akan folktales. Also spelled Kweku.

Given to a boy born on Saturday. Saturday's day-spirit is associated with the Supreme Being. Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was born on a Saturday.

Given to a boy born on Sunday. In Akan day-name tradition, each day of the week carries its own spiritual character; Sunday's is associated with the universe as a whole. Also spelled Kwesi.

The second-born daughter. Male form: Manu.

The third-born daughter. Male form: Mensa.

The second-born son. Female form: Maanu.

The third-born son. Female form: Mansa. This is the origin of the surname Mensah.

From Mensa, the birth-order name for a third-born son. One of the most common surnames in Ghana, carried by families regardless of the bearer's own birth position.

The ninth-born child (also Akron). Best known as the surname of Kwame Nkrumah — Kwame for a Saturday birth, Nkrumah for being the ninth child.

From Nkroma, the birth-order name for a ninth-born child, carried on as a family name — most famously by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah.

From Nyame ("God") + kyɛ ("to give, a gift"): "gift from God." Given to a child born after a long wait or prolonged childlessness.

The elder of a pair of twins, from panyin ("senior, elder"). Paired with Kakra.

The first-born child. Literally "erupting from an anthill," from pie ("burst out of a place") + sie ("anthill").

The child born immediately after a set of twins.

Given to a girl born on Thursday, the female counterpart to Yaw.

Given to a boy born on Thursday. Thursday's day-spirit is associated with the earth. Also spelled Yao or Ekow.

Tamazight for "moon".

Tamazight for "star". Amazigh names are frequently ordinary nouns used directly as personal names, rather than a separate naming vocabulary.

Tamazight for "spring" (the season).

Tamazight for "freedom".

"He has bloomed", related to abeba ("flower"). Borne by the marathon runner Abebe Bikila, the first Black African Olympic gold medallist.

From "alem" (the world) and "ayehu" (I have seen): in use, understood to mean "I have enjoyed life".

From alem ("world") + -u ("his"): "his world" — the child is the parents' whole world.

Amharic for "diamond".

"He has flourished" or "grown, germinated".

From berhan ("light") + -u ("his"): "his light".

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

Amharic for "joy, happiness".

Amharic for "paradise, garden", from Ge'ez ganat.

"(He is) their master, their lord" — the honorific plural, used as a mark of respect toward the child.

Amharic for "majesty, dignity, honour".

From Ge'ez hayl, "power, might, strength". Used chiefly in compounds — Haile Selassie ("power of the Trinity"), Haile Mariam ("power of Mary").

Amharic for "life".

"He has grown weighty" — from a verb for becoming heavy, understood figuratively: the child has come to be honoured and respected.

From qonjo ("beautiful"): "the beautiful one".

Amharic for "nobleman" or "aristocrat".

Amharic for "foundation" or "cornerstone", given with the hope the child will be a stable, reliable support to their family. Borne by Olympic gold medalist Meseret Defar.

Amharic for "freedom", a name resonant with Ethiopia's history of resisting colonization.

Amharic for "peace" (Ge'ez selam, cognate with Hebrew shalom and Arabic salaam).

"He has been renewed" or "reborn" — carrying a Christian sense of spiritual renewal.

From tesfa ("hope") + -ye ("my"): "my hope". So widely used one generation up that it was recorded as the single most common surname in Ethiopia in 2019.

Amharic for "patience".

Amharic for "the crown", from Ge'ez. Borne by Empress Zewditu, who ruled Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930 — the first woman to be head of an internationally recognised state in modern Africa.

Bambara for "the crowd" or "the community".

Manding for "cleric-teacher", a title-name reflecting the historical importance of Quranic scholarship among the Bambara and neighboring Manding-speaking peoples.

Traditionally given to a third-born son; said to mean roughly "I have procreated abundantly" from the father's perspective.

Bemba for "the one who is lost".

Bemba for "sun".

Bemba for "inside the house", a common Bemba and wider-Zambian given name and surname.

Bemba for "star".

Chichewa for "mercy".

Chichewa for "love".

Chichewa for "hope".

Chichewa for "blessing".

An Ewe sentence name meaning "he/she has redeemed me".

Given to the firstborn son.

From Mawu (God) + ena (has given): "God has given".

From Mawu (God) + ko (only, except): "only God" or "except God" — God alone can be relied on.

From Mawu (God) + li (lives): "God lives".

From Mawu (God) + nyo (is good): "God is good".

From Mawu (God) + se (hears, listens): "God listens".

From Mawu (God) + si (in the hand of): "in God's hands".

An Ewe sentence name meaning "Providence has favored me".

An Ewe sentence name meaning "God has comforted me".

An Ewe sentence name meaning "God loves me" or "divine love".

A historically documented Fon name meaning "the dynasty has not fallen", given to a Dahomey prince who became the kingdom's final king after French conquest.

A traditional Fon name for the first son born after a set of twins. Independently attested both as a given name (borne by King Agaja before he took the throne) and as "Dossou", one of the single most common surnames in Benin today.

Fulfulde for "patient" or "meticulous".

Traditionally given for being born under a full moon; associated with brightness and auspiciousness.

Fulfulde for "beloved", from the root "yiɗi" (to love) plus a suffix marking the human agent of the action.

Given to a girl born on Thursday, in the Ga day-name system (a distinct tradition from, but related to, the Akan and Ewe day-name systems).

Given to a girl born on Tuesday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a girl born on Friday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a child whose mother died.

Given to a girl born on Monday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a girl born on Sunday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a girl born on Wednesday, in the Ga day-name system.

An alternative name for a twin girl.

Given to a twin girl. In a boy-and-girl pair she is Akweley and her brother is Oko; two twin girls are Akweley and Akuorkor.

Given to a girl born on Saturday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a child whose father died before the naming ceremony. The name is explained as "did not meet the father to receive joy".

Given to the firstborn daughter.

Given to a boy born on Tuesday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a boy born on Friday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a boy born on Monday, in the Ga day-name system (a distinct tradition from, but related to, the Akan and Ewe day-name systems).

Given to a boy born on Wednesday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a boy born on Saturday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a boy born on Thursday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a boy born on Sunday, in the Ga day-name system.

Given to a twin boy — in a boy-girl pair, paired with Akweley.

Given to the child born immediately after a set of twins.

Given to the firstborn son. One of the most common Ga family names, carried on from this birth-order origin.

Born on a Monday, from the Hausa Litinin ("Monday").

Born on a Saturday, from the Hausa Asabar ("Saturday"). Female counterpart of Danasabe.

Born on a Wednesday, from the Hausa Laraba ("Wednesday"). Female counterpart of Balarabe.

Born on a Wednesday, from the Hausa Laraba ("Wednesday").

From dan ("son of") + Asabar ("Saturday"): a boy born on a Saturday.

From dan ("son of") + Juma'a ("Friday"): a boy born on a Friday.

Hausa for "born on a Sunday".

A boy born on a Thursday (Alhamis).

From dan ("son of") + Talata ("Tuesday"): a boy born on a Tuesday.

A child born immediately after twins.

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

Born on a Friday (Juma'a). Female counterpart of Danjuma; also spelled Jumai.

A girl born after a run of sons.

Born on a Sunday (Lahadi). Female counterpart of Danladi.

Born on a Thursday (Alhamis). Female counterpart of Danlami.

From Arabic "awal" (first), given to a first-born child; reflects the centuries-deep Islamic influence on Hausa naming.

Born on a Tuesday, from the Hausa Talata ("Tuesday"). Female counterpart of Dantala.

A boy born after a run of daughters.

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

From Chi ("God") + a-ma-ka ("is more beautiful / splendid"): "God is beautiful / God is splendid." Shortened to Amaka.

A sentence name meaning "God is king" (Chi, God + bu eze, is king).

From Chi + dị ("is") + ebere ("mercy, compassion"): "God is merciful." Shortened to Ebere.

A sentence name meaning "God is good" (Chi, God + di nma, is good). Also spelled Chidimma.

From Chi (one's personal god) + na-edu ("leads, guides"): "God leads / God is the guide." Shortened to Nedu.

A sentence name meaning "God is present" or "God is near" (Chi, God + no nso, is near), used for both boys and girls.

From Chukwu (the supreme God) + dị ("exists, is"): "God exists / God is." Shortened to Chidi.

A sentence name meaning "God has done exceedingly well" (Chukwu, God + emeka, has done well/greatly). Commonly shortened to Emeka.

From ife ("thing") + ọma ("good"): "a good thing." Also used for boys in some areas.

From mgbe ("time, day") + Eke: "on Eke day" — the female counterpart of Nweke, a girl born on Eke.

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

A sentence name meaning "father has done well" (nna, father + emeka, has done well/greatly).

From nna m ("my father") + dị ("lives, is alive"): "my father lives." Traditionally given to a boy born after the death of his father, grandfather or great-grandfather, believed to be that man returned. Borne by Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria's first president.

From nne ("mother") + ka ("is greater, surpasses"): "mother is supreme." A statement of a mother's standing in the family.

From nne ("mother") + nna ("father"): "father's mother." Given to a girl born after the death of her paternal grandmother, held to be that grandmother returned — the Igbo counterpart to Nnamdi.

From nwa ("child") + Eke (the first of the four Igbo market days): "child of Eke" — a boy born on Eke day.

From obi ("heart, mind") + ọ̀hà / ọ̀rà ("the community, the people"): "the heart of the people" — one the community holds dear. Shortened to Obi.

From oko ("young man, boy") + Afọ (the third Igbo market day): "a boy born on Afọ." Also Nwafor. One of the most common Igbo surnames today, from this naming.

From oko ("young man, boy") + Nkwọ (the last of the four Igbo market days): "a boy born on Nkwọ." The name of the protagonist of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.

From uche ("mind, will, thought") + Chukwu ("God"): "God's will" / "what God intends." Shortened to Uche.

From ugo ("eagle," and by extension honour, distinction, a crown) + Chukwu ("God"): literally "God's eagle," understood as "the crown / glory of God." Shortened to Ugo.

Kikuyu for "the reincarnated one", traditionally given when a child is believed to carry the spirit of a deceased relative.

Kikuyu for "the happy one".

"The one who returns" — the male counterpart to Njoki, in the same reincarnation-naming tradition as the existing Kariuki: given when a child is believed to carry back a departed relative's spirit, often a grandfather's name passed to a grandson.

Kikuyu for "she who shapes" or "molder", also the name of the mythic first mother of the Kikuyu people in their origin story (with Gikuyu as the first father).

Kikuyu for "shepherd", from the verb kũrĩĩthia ("to herd").

One of the two alternating generation-set names in traditional Kikuyu political organisation (Mwangi and Irungu, each holding authority for roughly a generation before passing it to the other) — also widely used as an ordinary personal name.

Kikuyu for "the one who has returned" or "the resurrected one".

From mbura ("rain"). One of the nine daughters of Gikuyu and Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin story.

Linked to irimũ ("ogre, giant"). One of the nine daughters of Gikuyu and Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin story.

Kikuyu for "zebra". One of the nine daughters of Gikuyu and Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin story, each the founder of a traditional clan.

From ngarĩ ("leopard"). One of the nine daughters of Gikuyu and Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin story. Borne by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai.

One of the nine daughters of Gikuyu and Mumbi in the Kikuyu origin story — sources disagree on the name's literal meaning, so none is asserted here.

Lozi for "mercy".

Lozi for "born at night".

Lozi for "hope".

Lozi for "joy".

Given to a girl born during the heavy-rains season (female form of Wafula).

Given to a boy born on a Saturday.

Given to a boy born during the heavy-rains season, among the Ababukusu (a Luhya sub-group).

Given to a boy born during the harvest season.

Given to a boy born at midnight. It is one of the Luo names for the time of day a child was born; a girl is given the same name beginning with A.

Dholuo for "born during the rainy season".

From Dholuo "luoch" (mist).

Maa for "the tall one".

Maa for "the polite one".

Given to a child born during a thunderstorm.

Often glossed as "the blessed one" in Maa. We have found this only in online name lists, not in a dictionary or a study of Maasai names.

Maa for "the wise one".

Given to a child born during a drought.

Given to a child born in the early morning.

Given to a child born in the evening.

Maa for "the sweet one".

Maa for "the lucky one".

Maa for "the peaceful one" — one of the best-known and most widely used Maasai women's names.

Maa for "the fortunate one" or "she who brings luck", a common and well-loved Maasai women's name.

Given to a child born during the rainy season.

Maa for "the joyous one".

Maa for "the pure one" or "the clean one".

Malagasy for "life" or "breath", one of the most common and well-known Malagasy given names.

Malagasy for "pillar".

Malagasy for "sacred values" or "virtue". Hasina is also a significant concept in Malagasy spiritual and social thought, denoting a sacred life-force or moral authority.

Malagasy for "power" or "strength".

Given to the second-born son, in the same Nande/Bakonzo birth-rank naming system as Mumbere.

Given to the third-born son, in the same Nande/Bakonzo birth-rank naming system.

Given to a first-born daughter, in the same Nande/Bakonzo birth-rank naming tradition (the female-line names follow their own, separate sequence from the male-line ones above).

Given to the first-born son. Nande (and the closely related Bakonzo of Uganda) name children directly for their birth rank among their siblings. The name itself states the order of birth.

isiNdebele for "they have increased", given in gratitude for a growing family.

isiNdebele for "rejoice" or "be happy".

isiNdebele for "strength" or "power".

isiNdebele for "kingdom".

Afaan Oromo for "one who reconciles" — a relational aspiration for the child, typical of older Oromo naming.

Afaan Oromo for "one with good fortune".

Afaan Oromo for "one who rewards".

Afaan Oromo for "knowledgeable".

Given for a birth during the dry season.

Afaan Oromo for "one who makes relatives" — an accommodative, community-binding name.

Given for a birth in the evening (galgala, "evening").

Afaan Oromo for "happiness, joy".

Afaan Oromo for "joy" or "happiness".

Afaan Oromo for "one who takes care of others".

Afaan Oromo for "light".

Afaan Oromo for "precious stone".

Afaan Oromo for "sprouting".

Afaan Oromo for "tolerance".

"One who rains" — given for a birth during the rains.

Afaan Oromo for "mountain".

Afaan Oromo for "one with a good aroma".

Afaan Oromo sentence name meaning "God has been good to us".

Sesotho for "success".

Sesotho for "encouragement".

Sesotho for "protection".

Sesotho for "rain", a name that carries real weight in a historically drought-prone region, where rain is bound up with life and prosperity (the word is also, not coincidentally, the name of Botswana's currency).

Shona for "gift".

Shona for "grace" or "mercy".

Shona for "love".

Shona for "faith".

Somali for "the lion".

Somali for "blessing" and "prosperity".

Somali for "abundance, prosperity" — the green plenty that follows good rains.

"The fortunate one" — a person born with luck.

From dahab ("gold").

From deeq ("gift, generosity"): "generous one".

"The one who warms" — who comforts and encourages.

An old Somali name meaning "joy, happiness" — distinct from, though often conflated with, the Arabic name Farah.

From geedi ("journey, migration"): a boy born while the family was on the move with the herds.

From guul ("victory"): "victor". Also spelled Guuleed.

Somali for "wealthy" or "rich".

From roob ("rain"): a boy born during the rains — a blessing in a pastoralist land.

From sama ("good"): "he who works for good".

Somali for "flower".

From war ("news"): "he brought the news" — a bearer of good tidings.

Somali for "bringer of glad tidings" or "good news".

"Protective amulet, safeguard" — a name meant to shield the child from harm.

Kiswahili for "peace".

Kiswahili for "luck, good fortune".

Kiswahili for "blessing". From Arabic baraka, fully naturalised as a common noun.

From cha usiku, "of the night" — a child born during the night.

Kiswahili for "joy, happiness".

Born on a Thursday (Alhamisi), from Arabic al-khamis, "the fifth". Also spelled Khamisi.

Kiswahili for "wisdom".

Kiswahili for "faith".

Kiswahili for "the brave one".

Born on a Friday (Ijumaa), the day of congregational prayer — from Arabic jumu'a. One of the most common Swahili male names.

Born on a Tuesday. In the Swahili week Tuesday is Jumanne, literally "day four" (the week begins on Saturday).

The mwana- ("child of") compound with juma (Friday): a girl born on a Friday.

Kiswahili for "grace, favour, prosperity". From Arabic ni'ma, long since an everyday Kiswahili word.

Kiswahili for "purpose, intention".

Kiswahili for "light". From Arabic nur.

Kiswahili for "love", from the verb -penda ("to love"). Also found in the fuller form Upendo.

Kiswahili for "mercy, compassion". From Arabic rahma.

Kiswahili for "patience".

Kiswahili for "three" — a third-born child.

Kiswahili for "nine" — a ninth-born child.

Kiswahili for "hope", from the verb -tumaini ("to hope, to trust").

Kiswahili for "gift" — a child received as a gift.

Tigrinya for "light".

Tigrinya for "victory".

Tigrinya for "eternal happiness".

From Ghebre/Gebre ("servant of") + Mariam (Mary): "servant of Mary" — one of the most productive naming patterns in Tigrinya, pairing Gebre- with a saint's name.

Usually glossed as "wealthy" in Tigrinya. We have not found a dictionary or a study of Tigrinya names that confirms it or explains how the name is formed.

A Ge'ez-origin name meaning "jasmine flower", widely used among Tigrinya speakers.

Tigrinya for "goodness, virtue, grace".

Ge'ez for "plant" — shared with Amharic (both draw on the same liturgical language) but independently well attested as a Tigrinya given name.

Tigrinya for "my sun".

Setswana for "beautiful".

Setswana for "peace".

Setswana for "success".

Setswana for "love".

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 meaning "mother" — used as a respectful term or name-prefix for women.

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.

IsiXhosa for "beautiful, handsome", from the adjectival root -hle — the same root behind the existing Zulu name Zinhle.

The isiduko of the senior ("Great House") of the two Xhosa royal houses, descended from King Phalo.

isiXhosa for "it is love".

An isiduko (clan name) tracing descent from a specific founding ancestor — outranks a registered surname in social importance and is recited as the highest form of respect. Worn by Nelson Mandela, by whom it became known worldwide.

isiXhosa for "prince".

isiXhosa for "princess" (female form of Nkosana).

The isiduko of the junior ("Right-Hand House") of the two Xhosa royal houses, descended from King Phalo.

IsiXhosa for "gift" (isipho).

isiXhosa for "blessing", "fortune", or "luck".

The isiduko of the founding ancestor of the Xhosa royal line, from whom both the Gcaleka and Rharhabe royal houses descend.

From ukuxola ("to be at peace, to calm down, to forgive"): "she who brings peace".

From àbí- ("born") + bọ̀ ("bringing") + ọlá ("wealth, honour"): "born bringing wealth" / "I came with honour." Used for boys and girls. Shortened to Bimbo or Bola.

From a ("we") + bí ("give birth") + (sí) ("into") + ọlá ("wealth, honour"): "born into wealth / nobility." Shortened to Biola. Borne by M. K. O. Abiola, acclaimed winner of Nigeria's annulled 1993 election.

From adé ("crown") + bá ("meet") + ayọ̀ ("joy"): "the crown meets joy." Shortened to Bayo.

From adé ("crown") + kún ("fill") + ilé ("house"): "the crown fills the house." A royal-lineage name, given in families connected to traditional rulership.

From adé ("crown") + ní ("have") + ìkẹ́ ("care, esteem"): "the crown is to be cherished." Linguistically Adéníìkẹ́; contemporary spelling drops one vowel. Shortened to Nike.

From adé ("crown") + ọlá ("wealth, honour"): "crown of honour" or "royalty brings honour." Given to both boys and girls, more often girls. Shortened to Ola.

From adé ("crown") + wá ("come") + ilé ("home"): "the crown has come home." Like other adé- names, it marks a family tied to traditional rulership.

From adé ("crown") + yẹ ("befit") + mi ("me"): "the crown befits me." A royal-lineage praise name adopted as a family name.

The female counterpart of Ojo: a girl born with the umbilical cord around her neck. Among the Ijebu, Aina is used for boys instead of Ojo.

Given to the child born after Idowu — continuing the special run of names that begins with a set of twins (Taiwo and Kehinde), then Idowu, then Alaba. Usually a girl's name.

From a ("we") + yìn ("praise") + dé ("arrive"): "we gave praise when he arrived." A name for a child whose birth was greeted with thanksgiving, carried on as a family name.

From ayọ̀ ("joy") + dé ("arrive") + ilé ("home"): "joy has come home." Shortened to Ayo or Dele.

From bàbá ("father") + ní ("has") + ọlá ("wealth, honour"): "the father has honour" / "father is wealth." Shortened to Lola.

From baba ("father") + tún dé ("come again"): "father has returned." Traditionally given to a boy born after the death of his father or grandfather, understood as that man's return to the family. Shortened to Tunde.

From bà mí ("help me") + kọ́ ("build") + ilé ("house"): "help me build a house." Read as a wish for settled, rooted family life, often after a founding generation's hardship or wandering. Shortened to Kole.

Given to a child born with thick, curled hair already covering the head, a birth feature traditionally left uncut.

Given to the child born immediately after a set of twins, regardless of sex: a distinct, recognized position in Yoruba birth order.

From Ifá (the òrìṣà of divination and destiny) + yẹ ("befit") + mi ("me"): "Ifá befits me." Marks a family tied to Ifá divination.

Given to a child born in breech position (feet or buttocks first, rather than head first): a recognized birth-circumstance name distinct from a name chosen for personality or hope.

Given to the second-born of twins. Despite arriving second, Kehinde is traditionally considered the elder of the two, having sent Taiwo out ahead to test whether the world was safe to enter.

From Ògún (the òrìṣà of iron, war and metalwork) + bí ("give birth") + yìí ("this one"): "Ògún gave birth to this child." A family name marking a lineage that served Ògún.

From Ògún + yẹ ("befit, be worthy of") + mi ("me"): "Ògún befits me." Same òrìṣà-lineage pattern as Ogunbiyi; the -yẹmí ending also appears in Adeyemi and Oluwafemi.

Given to a boy born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. An àmútọ̀runwá name — one held to be fixed before birth by the circumstances of the birth itself, not chosen.

From ikú ("death") + san ("repay, compensate") + ìyà ("suffering"): "death has repaid the suffering." Given to a child born after grief in the family, and kept as the lineage name.

From ọlá ("honour, prosperity") + ń rìn ("is moving") + iwájú ("ahead"): "honour moves forward" / "prosperity is advancing." Shortened to Nre or Waju.

From ọlá ("honour, wealth") + tún dé ("come again"): "honour has returned." Given in the hope the child brings honour to the family, or that a late ancestor's standing is reborn in them. Shortened to Tunde.

From ọlá ("wealth, honour") + wá ("come") + ilé ("home"): "honour has come home." Expresses a wish for prosperity to settle with the family. Shortened to Wale.

From ọlá ("honour, wealth") + yí ... ká ("surround") + mi ("me"): "honour surrounds me." Shortened to Yinka.

From olú ("God, Lord") + ṣẹ́gun ("conquer," itself ṣẹ́ "do" + ogun "war"): "God is victorious" / "God has conquered." Also spelled Oluwasegun. Shortened to Segun.

From olúwa ("Lord") + fẹ́ ("love, want") + mi ("me"): "the Lord loves me." Shortened to Femi or Olufemi.

From olúwa ("Lord") + ṣe ("do") + oun ("thing"): "the Lord has done (something good)." Also read as "thank God," since ẹ ṣeun is the everyday phrase for thank you. Shortened to Seun.

Given to the first-born of twins, regardless of the child's sex. In Yoruba belief, Taiwo is sent out first by the second twin, Kehinde, to see what the world is like. The literal meaning is close to "the first to taste the world."

From ìyá / yè ("mother") + tún dé ("come again"): "mother has returned." Given to a girl born shortly after the death of her paternal grandmother, understood as that grandmother reborn. Related name: Iyabo.

isiZulu for "power" or "strength", also the rallying cry ("Amandla!") of the South African anti-apartheid movement.

From anda ("increase, multiply"): "they have increased" — the family has grown with this birth. Used for boys and girls.

From anda ("increase, multiply"), present tense: "they are increasing" — the family keeps growing. The counterpart of Andile. Used for boys and girls.

From bonga ("thank, praise"): "be thankful" / "give thanks." A name of gratitude for the birth.

From jabula ("rejoice, be glad"): "rejoice" / "be happy."

From ilungelo ("a right, an entitlement"): "a right." A name from the language of dignity and justice.

From ulwazi ("knowledge"): "knowledge."

Zulu for "strength, power" — the singular of amandla (the plural form is the 0036 entry Amandla). Shortened forms include Mandlakhe, Mandlenkosi in compounds.

From inkosi ("king, chief") + the diminutive -ana: "prince" / "little chief." Also a term of endearment for a first son.

From inkosi ("king, chief") + the feminine diminutive -azana: "princess." The female counterpart of Nkosana.

isiZulu for "freedom".

isiZulu for "beauty".

From the feminine name-former Nom- ("mother of") + umusa ("grace, kindness, mercy"): "mother of grace." Also Nomsa.

From Nom- ("mother of") + imvula ("rain"): "mother of rain" — given to a girl born while it was raining.

From anela ("be enough, be satisfied"): "we have enough" / "we are satisfied" — a family saying this child completes it.

From busisa ("to bless"): "a blessing." Shortened to Sbu.

From fisa ("to wish, desire"): "a wish" — what the family had wished for. Also spelled Sfiso.

isiZulu for "gift".

From thanda ("to love"): "loved" / "lovable" / "beloved."

Zulu for "hope" and "trust" — also the verb, "to hope, to trust."

From -hle ("good, beautiful"): "(the girls) are beautiful" / "they are good" — izintombi zinhle. A name affirming daughters.