596 African Baby Girl Names With Meanings

Embrace the beauty of Africa.

Written by shikha thakur,MBA•Aug 23, 2023

Illustration: MomJunction Design Team

African baby girl names are often traditional and have unique stories behind them. Factors like the time a baby is born or the circumstances or the surroundings during the birth often influence choosing a name for the baby. These events and surroundings can be positive or negative. Some of the names are a complete picture of the conditions. For example, "Yetunde Nwaokeke” is the name of a baby girl whose grandmother died just before her birth. "Yetunde" means mother has come back. Before the parents decide the names of their children, circumstances also play a part. It happens among some Ghanaian ethnic groups where a name is automatically assigned based on the day a child is born. For example, a baby girl who was born on Friday was named "Ghanaian Efua" which means a Friday-born. Several local names also have strong religious faith in keeping their baby's name. Among the Igbo and Yoruba ethnic groups in Nigeria, baby names mostly start or end with "Chi" "Chukwu" or "Oluwa" which has some reference to God (1). Some groups in eastern or southern Africa choose certain names depending on the time of the day or season a baby is born. In Yoruba tradition, it is very common for each parent or grandparent of a baby to contribute in at least one name of the baby (2). As a result, a baby ends up with several names, each telling its own unique story. With Western influence, newer names have found their way into African families. In this post, we have curated a list of famous African baby names that you can choose using our baby names tool.

Name	Gender	Meaning
Amahle	Girl	The beautiful one; The prettiest; The finest
Amogelang	Girl	Accept, Receive
Enzokuhle	Unisex	Expected to do great things, Do good
Lesedi	Girl	A ray of light, a beam of light
Lethabo	Unisex	Happiness, Rejoice
Luthando	Unisex	African name meaning Love and Adoration
Melokuhle	Unisex	Stand for what is right, One who represents good things
Omphile	Girl	Gift from God, God gave
Rethabile	Girl	We are happy, Happy
Thandolwethu	Girl	Our love

Aba	Girl	African Akan - Girl born on Thursday; Abah, Abba and Abbah are variant spellings of the name Aba
Abana	Girl	This Biblical name means strong personality made with a stone
Abeba	Girl	African Amharic - Flower; Abeada and Abyda are variant transcriptions of the name
Abena	Girl	African Akan - Girl born on Tuesday; Abana, Abeena and Abeenah are variant spellings of the name Abena
Abeni	Girl	African Yoruban - We asked for her, now she is ours; Someone who is prayed for; A variant of name Abena
Abiba	Girl	非洲——格兰的死后的第一个孩子出生dmother; Abeaba and Abeabah are the variant spellings of Abiba
Abiona	Girl	One who is born during a journey
Abla	Girl	African Akan - Girl born on Tuesday; Has an Arabic meaning as voluptuous
Abraha	Girl	A girl who born on Tuesday
Absco	Girl	One with an inventive mind.

Abuya	Girl	One who was born when the garden was overgrown.
Achebe	Unisex	One who is protected by the Goddess
Achieng	Girl	One born during the day time.
Adabelle	Girl	In Hebrew it means adornment. In German it means noble. In African it means oldest daughter.
Adaeh	Girl	Crowned, or chosen, or pinnacle of a peak
Adamma	Girl	African - Child of Beauty; Beautiful Girl
Adana	Girl	African - Being the father's daughter; A variant of name Adanna
Adanna	Girl	Father's daughter, given to the elder sister of a girl
Adanne	Girl	African - Being the mother's daughter; A child who resembles her mother; A variant of name Adane
Addiah	Girl	In Hebrew it means ornament of God. In Swahili it means Gift from God

Adebola	Girl	African - Honor is brought to her; She met honor
Adenike	Girl	The Crown is Loving; Affectionate; Crown has care; Wealth has Care; Crown is cherished
Adeola	Girl	Crown of wealth
Adhiambo	Girl	African - daughter who is born after sunset
Adhra	Girl	African - Apology; Virgin
Adila	Girl	Equal; Just; Upright; Honest
Adilah	Girl	Equal
Adita	Girl	One who belongs to the Sun
Adjoa	Girl	African - Born on a Monday; A daughter who is born on Monday
Adongo	Girl	The second of twins.

Adwin	Unisex	An artist, creative person
Adwoa	Girl	One born on a Monday.
Affrica	Girl	From Africa
Afi	Girl	非洲-星期五出生的孩子;一个daughter who is born on Friday; A variant form is Afia
Afia	Girl	非洲-星期五出生的孩子;一个daughter who is born on Friday; A variant form is Afi
Afiya	Girl	Health
Afra	Girl	Whitish red
Afua	Girl	非洲-星期五出生的孩子;一个daughter who is born on Friday; A variant form is Afia
Ahanti	Unisex	warlike in the Twi language.
Ahnika	Girl	Ruler of the House, Beautiful Ornament

Aiysha	Girl	Powerful and complete
Akello	Girl	Baby girl born after twins.
Akeyo	Girl	One who was born during the harvest.
Akia	Girl	Clear sky; Bright sky
Akinyi	Girl	African - Born in the morning; Born during forenoon
Akosua	Girl	African - Twi - Girl Child Born on Sunday
Akua	Girl	African - A child who is born on Thursday
Akuba	Girl	One who is born on Wednesday
Aluna	Girl	Kenyan term, literally meaning come here.
Aluoch	Girl	One who was born during an overcast morning.

Ama	Girl	气ld born on Saturday
Amandla	Girl	African - A powerful Woman; Brave and Strong Woman
Amarachukwu	Girl	African Igbo - God's Grace; Mercy of God; God's Favor; Divine Grace
Amare	Unisex	A person sent by God to love who is extremely handsome
Amari	Unisex	Promised by God; Strength; Courage; Immortal
Amne	Girl	African - Swahili - Safe; Secure
Amondi	Girl	African - Born at Dawn
Amurta	Girl	Beautiful; ambrosia, a veritable drink which gives immortality
Anana	Girl	The fourth child who is blessed with soft and gentle personality
Angweng	Girl	One who was born during the time of white ants.

Anika	Girl	Graceful; Fearless; Goddess Durga; Soldier
Anyango	Girl	One who was born during mid day.
Aoko	Girl	An evergreen blue tree; one who is outside
Aparaa	Girl	The one who is unique, materialistic and matchless
Aphra	Girl	It means a house made of dust
Apiyo	Girl	First of the twins.
Armani	Girl	Warrior; Army man
Arogo	Girl	One who nagged a lot during pregnancy.
Asabi	Girl	African - Yoruban - One of Select Birth
Asha	Girl	Hope; Alive; Desire

Ashaki	Girl	One who is beautiful
Ashanti	Girl	War; Restlessness
Asis	Girl	Blessing; African - Of the sun; A variant spelling is Asiss
Athiambo	Girl	African - Born in Late Evening
Atieno	Girl	One who was born at night.
Audi	Girl	The last daughter
Avongara	Girl	African - To Tie
Awino	Girl	One who was born with the cord around.
Awo	Girl	Girl who is born on Thursday
Ayah	Girl	Sign; Evidence

Ayana	Girl	Beautiful flower
Ayanna	Girl	A unique flower which is forever blooming
Ayira	Girl	African - Chosen; Worthy of Respect; Exalted; Revered; A variant form of Augustus
Ayoka	Girl	African Yoruban - One who Causes Joy all round; A variant of Ayo
Azana	Girl	Call to prayer; inspires everyone
Aziza	Girl	Beloved; Strong
Babetta	Girl	Foreign woman.
Badriya	Girl	One who is like the full Moon
Baina	Girl	One who is glittering with radiance
Bandele	Girl	Born Away From Home

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African baby girl names have evolved over time while keeping their traditional essence. However, traditional names are still favored because of their cultural and religious significance. These names may be given in honor of ancestors or to praise the Lord. Many names are associated with nature and the personal traits of a person. These names are versatile and will carry forward your ancestral legacy and African heritage. Also, make sure the name you are choosing also rhymes well with your child’s last name.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are some African baby girl names inspired by nature or animals?

Wambui is an African name that means 'zebra' in Kikuyu. Zahrah, on the other hand, means 'blooming flower' in Arabic. Ayanna is an elegant name meaning 'flower' in Amharic.

2. What are the specific traditions or cultures that influence African baby girl names?

Africa is home to several cultures, each with unique naming traditions and cultures. For instance, the Akan people from Ghana name their children based on their birth order. Conversely, the Shona people of Zimbabwe choose nature-inspired names for their babies, whereas the Tswana people from Botswana choose names based on the circumstances surrounding the child’s birth. Like these, several specific naming traditions and customs can vary across diverse African cultures.

3. What African names mean ‘star’?

Anangikwe, derived from the terms anang 'star' and ikwe' woman,' means star woman in Ojibwe. Nthanda is another name commonly used in Southern Africa and means 'star' in Tumbulka. Some other titles that are commonly used in Africa and are associated with stars are Danica and Aster.

4. What is the African name for ‘queen’?

Thema is a beautiful name that means 'queen' in Akan. Some other African titles associated with queens are Makeda, an Amharic name related to the Queen of Sheba, who is believed to have ruled over some parts of Ethiopia and Yemen. Nzinga is a Bantu name derived from Njinga. It was the name of the queen of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms in the 17th century.

References:

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