If you sell a drum in your own village, you get the money and keep the sound. _-Madagascar

On such a diverse continent, the people of Africa differ from each other with regard to language, religion, philosophy, music, and appearance. Africa’s indigenous people come in all different sizes, skin colors, and shapes. They govern themselves in a myriad of ways, speak thousands of different languages, and worship different indigenous and imported gods. Despite enormous cultural variety throughout Africa, there are central themes common to African naming.

Day, Time, or Order of Birth
Quite often in African cultures, a name evidences the day of birth, time of birth, or the birth order. For example:

AKUA Wednesday.
DOTO Second of twins.
LAYLA Born at night.
MOSI First born.
NINA First female child.

Conditions or Circumstances of Birth and Reactions to Birth
Conditions of and reactions to birth vary. The people of Nigeria say, “We consider the state of our affairs before we name a child.” The following names evidence these assorted states of affairs:

ALFRYEA Born during good times.
ALANYO A child born at a time when parents were separated.
CHIFINI Child born after the mother has buried several young ones.
FALALA Born into abundance.
KIJITA Child born after the death of her father.
LESA Child born unexpectedly.

Location of Birth
Africans frequently reference geography and landscape when selecting names. The Yoruba people say, “Rivers dry up but not their names.” Recognizing this, many times names document the place or area of birth:

AFIBA By the sea.
JIRI Forest of wild fruits.
KUSI South.
SANGA From the valley.
SHARTATI Most beautiful mountain.
ZIZWE Child born in a foreign land.

Event or Season of Birth
As with location, African names also document the season of birth or events happening during the time of birth:

ARUSI Born during time of wedding.
BEJIDE Child born during the rains.
CHOZI Tear, born after a funeral.
DEMOKRASI Born during nationalist revolution.
KHEPHU Born during snow conditions.
RABIA Spring.

Religious and Spiritual Concepts
All available information suggests Afridiasporic people have some concept of God. There is no record of an African society devoid of a God concept (Mbiti 1972).  Certainly, one of the biggest categories of names relates to (1) the image of God; (2) the nature of God; (3) the activities of God; and (4) the relationships between God and woman and man. African names emphasize God as one who manifests through action rather than speech (what God does, rather than what God says). Following are examples of African names related to God, religion, faith, or spirituality:

EKEDI The existence of the creator is shown by what he does.
NATHI God is with us.
KEMBA She is full of faith.
BASHA Act of God.
CHIMA God has the answer.
SHEYI See what God did for me.
SUKU He who supplies the needs of his creatures.

Desired Characteristics
Frequently, Africans take the character, behavior, and attitude of the name bearer into account when selecting names. A Moroccan proverb reads, “a good name is more valuable than a velvet garment.” Accordingly, African names speak to desired characteristics. In a sense, these types of names are waiting for the person:

HODARI Brave; courageous.
IME Patient.
JINAKI Self-confident; proud.
KASHKA friendly.
OKAOME One who says and does what he says.
ZUBERI Strong.

Animals and Other Living Creatures
Sometimes, names of animals or other living creatures represent the physical attributes or personal qualities of individuals.

FEZELA Scorpion (a hurtful person, a mischievous person).
KASUKU Parrot (talkative person).
MUSOTA Snake (sly and mischievous person).
NAMA Lion (strong, powerful person).
NKUKU Rooster (early riser).
RASHA Gazelle (graceful runner).
TAUSI Peacock (person full of pride).
ZEKLE Cock (quarrelsome).

Deceased Persons, Relatives, and Royalty
In Ethiopia, the people say, “One’s name remains about the grave.” Africans often name their children after deceased persons, relatives, celebrities, or royalty. Common names of this type include:

NEFERTITI The beautiful one has arrived.
NOFOTO Child born in the image of her grandmother.
NZINGA From the river.
RAMSES Sun-born.
SESI Sister.
SHAKA Stomach disorder.
CLEOPATRA Famous.

Physical Characteristics
Not surprisingly, numerous Africans use names to describe physical appearance. When someone has a special or peculiar physical quality, he or she is likely to receive names such as:

KABIBI Fat and beautiful child.
MASHAVU Little baby with chubby cheeks.
NAJLA Having big eyes.
SHAKILA Shapely, well-rounded.
TABASAMU A beautiful smile.
YOZI The one with big sleepy eyes.

With 16 percent of the world’s population residing on the African continent, Africa has given birth to millions of lyrical, intriguing, and significant names—thousands of which are listed in THE AFRICAN BOOK OF NAMES.

©2009. Askhari Hodari, Ph.D. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the express written permission of the author. Author: Askhari Hodari |  The African Book of Names | afrikannames@gmail.com.