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African Names

African baby names derive from a wide range of languages and cultures, from Ethiopian to Nigerian, Yoruba to Xhosa. African names often originate with days of the week or times of the year denoting when the baby was born. Another source for African name meaning is place in the family: first-born of twins, for instance, or youngest son. Nature also figures as a source for African baby names, with names relating to animals, weather, and landscape. Some African names derive from the Muslim religion while others relate to individual tribal mythology and beliefs.

If you're looking for African names for your baby, here is our full list of possibilities. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.

Amara

Meaning: grace, immortal, tribe

Origin:Igbo, Sanskrit, Arabic
78
Nemy

Meaning: sweet

Origin:Mende
1629
Asha

Meaning: hope; life

Origin:Sanskrit; Swahili
343
Zora

Meaning: dawn

Origin:Serbo-Croatian
365
Izara

Meaning: shawl; star; section of tree

Origin:Arabic, Basque, Hausa
550
Zuri

Meaning: good, beautiful

Origin:Kiswahili
2405
Zuri

Meaning: good, beautiful

Origin:Kiswahili
749
Ife

Meaning: love

Origin:African, Yoruba
2612
Kehinde

Meaning: second-born of twins or one who falls behind

Origin:Yoruba
9309
Kehinde

Meaning: second-born of twins or one who falls behind

Origin:Yoruba
17847
Abyssinia Abyssinia is a very beautiful name that orig...
Origin:African place-name
5298
Kamaria

Meaning: moonlight

Origin:Swahili
1760
Eshe

Meaning: life

Origin:African, Swahili
3672
Habiba

Meaning: beloved, sweetheart

Origin:Arabic, Bengali
5991
Zola

Meaning: piece of earth

Origin:African, Congolese; also literary name
2684
Marjani

Meaning: coral

Origin:Arabic, Swahili
3681
Lissa

Meaning: honeybee

Origin:African, Arabic mythological name; diminutive of Melissa, Greek
2002
Anika

Meaning: sweetness of face

Origin:Nordic diminutive of Anne or African, Hausa
638
Nairobi Nairobi is a beautiful name that has many di...
Origin:African place-name
4368
Nairobi Nairobi is a beautiful name that has many di...
Origin:African place name
11967