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Akan names and their meanings

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The Akan are a cluster of related peoples (including the Ashanti, Fante, and others) numbering around 25 million across Ghana and Ivory Coast, speaking Tano languages of the Niger-Congo family. The Ashanti Empire, founded in the late 17th century, became one of West Africa’s most powerful pre-colonial states, built on the region’s gold trade.

First names (28)

birth circumstance

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

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

day name

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.

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.

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.

birth order name

The fourth-born child.

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.

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.

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

twin name

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.

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

The child born immediately after a set of twins.

Surnames (2)

birth order name

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.

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.

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