African Girl Names

Ameyo is a common name in West Africa, where it is traditional to give a child a name that reflects their time of birth. Ameyo means "born on Saturday" and is derived from the word mene. Kwame is the masculine counterpart.

For parents searching for an African name that is wearable in the US, Sekai is a wonderful option for a daughter.

In Akamba culture, children were historically given names with animal meanings if their mother's first pregnancy was a stillbirth. It was thought that these names promoted survival and kept the bad omens away from the child. Additionally, this saved the "good" names — typically those of grandparents — for later-born children, who were considered more likely to survive.

West African naming tradition dictated that children were named for their time of birth or birth order — Nsia would have been given to a sixth-born baby girl.

The Luhya people of Kenya have male and female names that denote the season the child was born in — Harvest, Planting, Rain, Weeding, Drought, or Hunger Season. Naliaka is the feminine name for weeding season, the male counterpart is Wanyonyi.

A sonorous, if mournful, name from the Tumbuka language of Malawi and Zambia.

A striking option among African girl names, reminiscent of the up-and-coming name Alaia.

West African name best known as that of Yetunde Price, half-sister of Venus and Serena Williams who was tragically murdered in 2003.

Bouncy South African girl name whose sound doesn't quite match its meaning.

Sassy alternative to Cassandra -- maybe too sassy.

A unisex name used among the Urhobo people of Southern Nigeria.

A gender-neutral name in its native Nigeria, but more often borne on males in the US.

Upbeat and attractive girl name from Nigeria.

This name of the capital of an ancient Egyptian dynasty makes Lois X-rated.

Feminine form of the male name Wanjala.

One African choice that might be easier to understand if spelled phonetically: it's pronounced TAH-shee.

A rarer version of the charming Yoruba name Abeni.

A perky African name with a downright charming meaning.

A Yoruba surname as well as a unisex given name.