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Girl Names from Africa

African names for baby girls hail from all around the continent and offer an uncommon yet usable complement of choices. A few African girl names are starting to catch on in the US, including Zola and Zuri, which feature the exciting Z initial.

Along with Zola and Zuri, other African names for girls in the US Top 1000 include Amara, Anika, Nala, Zendaya, and Zora. One-of-a-kind African girl names given to fewer than five baby girls at last count include Ameyo, Lulit, Nemy, and Thulile.

While these are some of our favorites, for even more African baby girl names, go to our masterlist of African Names for Girls.

Girl Names from Africa

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
749
Tula

Meaning: mountain peak, a Libra, or to be tranquil

Origin:Choctaw, Hindi, or Kiswahili
974
Zahara

Meaning: to shine; flower

Origin:Hebrew; Swahili
996
Ife

Meaning: love

Origin:African, Yoruba
2612
Adeola

Meaning: crown of wealth; crown has honor

Origin:Yoruba
11882
Ayo

Meaning: joy

Origin:Yoruba, Nigerian
15312
Kehinde

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

Origin:Yoruba
17847
Aramide

Meaning: my people have arrived

Origin:Yoruba
0
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