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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.

Zeno The meaning of Zeno is ‘gift of Zeus’ or ‘gu...
Origin: Anglicized form of Greek Zenon, related to Zeus, king of the gods
493
Elias

Meaning: Yahweh is God

Origin:Greek variation of Elijah, Hebrew
132
Ozias

Meaning: salvation

Origin:Greek
176
Dion

Meaning: child of heaven and earth

Origin:Diminutive of Dionysius, Greek
207
Leon

Meaning: lion

Origin:Greek variation of Leo
262
Adonis

Meaning: lord

Origin:Greek, from Semitic Adonai
313
Eros

Meaning: desire

Origin:Greek
445
Achilles

Meaning: thin-lipped

Origin:Greek
632
Ares

Meaning: ruin, bane

Origin:Greek
800
Zeus The meaning of Zeus is ‘to shine’. It is a n...
Origin:Greek mythology name
820
Dorian This name comes all the way from the land of...
Origin:Greek, name of a tribe
293
Lex

Meaning: defending men

Origin:Diminutive of Alexander
1535
Aries

Meaning: a ram

Origin:Latin
606
Echo

Meaning: echo or sound

Origin:Greek mythology name
639
Delta

Meaning: letter or island

Origin:Greek
1238
Angelina

Meaning: angel

Origin:Greek, Italian, Spanish, Russian diminutive of Angela
531
Acacia

Meaning: thorny

Origin:Greek
534
Magdalena

Meaning: from Magdala

Origin:Greek
547
Euphemia

Meaning: fair speech

Origin:Greek
559
Jocasta The meaning of Jocasta is 'shining moon', ac...
Origin:Greek, meaning unknown
3448