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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.

Nerida

Meaning: sea nymph, mermaid

Origin:Greek
1742
Melissa

Meaning: honeybee

Origin:Greek
541
Melina

Meaning: little honey

Origin:Greek
741
Theresa

Meaning: to harvest

Origin:English form of the Spanish Teresa
468
Daria

Meaning: kingly or possess well

Origin:Feminine variation of Darius, Persian or Latin from Greek
854
Cyprian

Meaning: man of Cyprus

Origin:Greek
724
Matthias

Meaning: gift of God

Origin:Aramaic variation of Matthew
260
Artemas

Meaning: gift of Artemis, goddess of the hunt

Origin:Greek
1673
Damian

Meaning: to tame, subdue

Origin:Greek
245
Stavros

Meaning: cross

Origin:Greek
2720
Homer

Meaning: security, pledge

Origin:Greek
1479
Castor

Meaning: pious one

Origin:Greek
633
Demetrius

Meaning: follower of Demeter

Origin:Greek
762
Pallas

Meaning: wisdom

Origin:Greek
1473
Basil

Meaning: royal

Origin:Greek
500
Zenobia

Meaning: force of Zeus

Origin:Greek
1087
Io Io is a name originally belonging to Greek a...
Origin:Greek mythology name
540
Origin:Latin, feminine variation of Justin
5090
Larissa

Meaning: citadel

Origin:Variation of Larisa, Greek and Russian
775
Leda

Meaning: happy

Origin:Greek
786