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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.

Sybil

Meaning: prophetess

Origin: Greek
259
Eugenia

Meaning: wellborn

Origin:Feminine variation of Eugene, Greek
1320
Eulalia

Meaning: sweetly speaking

Origin:Greek
460
Elena

Meaning: bright, shining light

Origin:Spanish, Italian, German, Greek variation of Helen
59
Arcadia

Meaning: region offering peace and contentment

Origin:Greek
580
Hermione

Meaning: messenger, earthly

Origin:Greek, feminine version of Hermes, "messenger, earthly"
334
Atticus

Meaning: from Attica

Origin:Latin
5
Linus

Meaning: flax

Origin:Greek
162
Darius

Meaning: possessing goodness

Origin:Latin, Greek, Persian
194
Cosmo

Meaning: order, beauty, universe

Origin:Greek, Italian, English
82
Nico

Meaning: people of victory

Origin:Italian diminutive of Nicholas, Greek
85
Lazarus

Meaning: God is my helper

Origin:Latinized Greek variation of Hebrew Eleazar
183
Zephyr

Meaning: west wind

Origin:Greek
247
Atlas

Meaning: bearer of the heavens

Origin:Greek
23
Theo

Meaning: gift of God

Origin:Diminutive of Theodore
36
Apollo

Meaning: destroyer

Origin:Greek mythology name
97
Tobias

Meaning: God is good

Origin:Greek from Hebrew
31
Orion

Meaning: boundary, limit

Origin:Greek
119
Philip

Meaning: lover of horses

Origin:Greek
153
Balthazar

Meaning: Baal protects the King

Origin:Phoenician
295