African Girl Names

Ama is a day name used by the Akan people of Ghana for girls born on Saturday. Names that reference a baby's birth by day of the week, time of day, or season of the year are common in many African cultures. Ama is one that can be used happily by parents who live in English-speaking countries.

Short form of Adebayo

Zahara, a delicate but strong multicultural name, came into the spotlight when Angelina Jolie bestowed it on her Ethiopian-born daughter, and we predict other parents will adopt it as well. If you want something simpler than Zahara, consider Zara, a royal name in England--but also the name of a Spanish-based clothing store chain.

Namibian supermodel Behati Prinsloo, who has walked the runway for every designer from Prada to Versace to Vera Wang, has introduced us to this Afrikaans version of Beate or Beatrice, a rhythmic twist on an international favorite.

Lush and unusual.

Lissa might be an abbreviation of Melissa, but it's more substantial in its own right: Lissa is the name of a supreme mother goddess in African mythology and an Arabic symbol of rebirth.

Dynamic and creative; common in Africa, challenging here. Pronunciation isn't as difficult as you'd guess, but everyone will have to ask. Many favor n-GO-zee, but a native speaker tells us that it is closer to n-GAW-zee, and we've found at least one n-GAH-zee, too.

While this African place-name is much more popular for boys, nearly 40 girls were named Zaire last year. Among African baby names, this is one of the best-known in the US.

Samiya is a name used by parents of both Arabic and African ancestry. Spelling variations include Samiyah, Samiah, and Samia.

A worthy update for Imani.

Would you really want to name your child after a Japanese anime movie called Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space.

Too close to "payola."

Gugu is derived from the word igugu, meaning "treasure." It's commonly used as a nickname for Gugulethu.

Author Toni Morrison is an acknowledged master of naming, and Sethe, the name of one of the main characters of Beloved, which can be pronounced as Seth or Seth-eh, relates to the male biblical name Seth but is also the name of the Egyptian god of confusion.

Related to the more common Solana, Salana has a pleasantly rhythmic pan-cultural feel.

This Hindi word which is used in prayer is one of the prime names that mean peace, always a nice message to impart to a child. Nick Nolte used it for his daughter.

Though this is traditionally a male name, it can work for a girl in our culture. Might also be considered a short form of the Italian Amadea.

Everyone is loving Lu- names nowadays, so why not add this sweet East African one to your list?

Not many parents would want to use Tisa for its literal meaning in this era of smaller families, but Tisa is a name with much crossover appeal. Simple and straightforward, it's also both distinctive and feminine and relates to similar-sounding Western names such as Lisa and Trisha and Tea. If you're looking for an African name that can bridge cultures, Tisa is an excellent pick.

The literal meaning of Olwethu is "ours," which is in reference to the love of the child.