Moreover we include in the list only names with meanings. There are many African names without meanings, simply because the original meaning is long forgotten or possibly did not exist in the first place.

Your name may also not be on the list because it is not an African Name.

What do I do if my name is not on the list?

If you know your name's meaning, you may list it in the new names list, from where it will eventually find its way into the names lists, after verification.

If you do not know the meaning of your name please post it in one of the public areas (guest book, meeting place, or bulletin board) with a request for assistance. Somebody out there may know the meaning. Also send us mail about it and check back often to see if it has been added to the lists.

I have a list of African names I with meanings and pronounciations that I would like to submit to the site.

We welcome submission of new names to the lists please email the list to us at suggestnames@namesite.com

Are the names on your lists first names or surnames.?

Both!. Most African peoples do not distinguish between first names and surnames like Europeans generally do. So, whereas Smith is a surname and John a first name in the west, a name like Kamau (Gikuyu, Kenya, Quiet warrior) can be both a first (given) name and a surname. Thus many Africans are named Kamau as their given or first name and many others have Kamau as their surname.

What is the African naming system?

There is no single African naming system. Many different approaches are used in selecting names for children. The most commn themes center around respect for ancestors and a deep desire to carry on the names of the ancestors, coupled with this is recognition of the circumstances of birth. Thus were the prior children twins, what day and time of day was the child born, what season etc. Many peoples in Africa also name children in honor of relatives or friends who have recently passed on so as to preserv their name and in the belief that they have been resurrected in the newborn child.

Thus children born on a given day may be named for that day or for the hour of their birth. The name lists show numerous examples of such names from all over Africa. One naming system that is more or less unique is that of the Gikuyu people in Kenya who always name children after their relatives in a strict system. In this system a first born boy is named after their paternal grandfather and a second born boy after their maternal grandfather, girls are named in the same way after their grandmothers. Third borns and beyond are named after their parents brothers and sisters again alternating between the maternal and paternal sides in the same way. This system means that a "Mugikuyu" (Gikuyu person) will always know both the given name and surname of a child if they know their, sex, birth order and the names of their parents and parents parents!.

How do Africans select their childs name?

Please see the question above!

How should I pick an African name?

Good question. Should you pick a name because it sounds good, looks good or fits good. Probably all the above. But some thoughts from us. Many names on the list are difficult to pronouncfe for westerners and indeed other Africans. Just like there are English names English speakers find hard to pronounce, there are African names that Africans find hard to pronounce. Our advise pick a name that will not be impossible for others to pronounce, they may need some practice to say it right, but it should not be overly daunting. Look at the meaning very carefully, do you want to spend your life with a name that means......... that!.

Everywhere in the world there are names people don't particularly care for, Africa is no exception!. The rule of thumb is that the name should be important enough in all its aspects, to inspire you to cahnge your outlook and conception of yourself in a major respects. Its not just a nice sound, it carries with it an ancient identity. Remember once you adopt the name you will be educating people about it for quite a while. Thats your job and your contribution!.

Should you pronounce the name absolutely accurately. As much as you can do so you should, but strive to be generally if not exactly true to the pronounciation. You are after all not a native speaker of the language the name comes from. Remember, with over a thousand different languages in use in Africa, Africans themselves have to learn and approximate the pronounciation of the other African names.

What is the African language?

There are about 1000 languages spoken on the African continent and no specific single and universal African language. However some languages are widely spoken. Chief among sub Saharan African languages (Black Africa), are Swahili (Kiswahili) on the east coast and Hausa in west Africa, both spoken by over 50 million people each. Other major African languages are Zulu, Lingala, Amharic, Malinke among others. Arabic is also widely spoken in the north and European languages such as English and French are also widely spoken.

Many Africans speak two or more languages and most have at least some understanding and command of African languages other than their mother tongue.

What does my name mean in African?

Since there is no universal African language the question should properly be "What does my name mean in a particular African language". If your name is of African origin it may have a meaning in its particular language of origin or a quite different meaning in another African language. If your name is not of African origin then you wish to translate it into an African language, there are two ways you can accomplish this.

1) you can use the accepted "African" version of the name if there is one. If your name is a common European name such as Peter or a biblical name (such as Peter) chances are good there is an African verion in some language. For example Peter translates to Pedro in Swahili. This of course is derived from alternate European version of Peter e.g the Portuguese, Luke translates to Luka once more in Swahili. A purely African version may not exist. One tactic may be to aquire an African language Bible, compare it to an English Bible find your name in it and in the African language version and adopt the African Biblical usage of the name. However you may not like the sound, pronounciability, or other features of the "African translation" you identify.

2) Find the meaning of your name and then find an African name with the same or a similar meaning. This is probably the easier way to go if you know the meaning of your non African name. It also has the advantage that you will likely be able to choose from a wide variety of African names, from different ethnic groups, with the same meaning as your current name, and so pick the one that best suits you.

Please translate my name into African for me.

We would love to be able to "translate" your name for you i.e determine whether an African version exists or find a name with a similar meaning, however at the moment resources do not permit (still have to attend to that day job! Tsk Tsk :-) )

Please peruse the name lists. We strive to keep these updated always to better serve you. Due to the large volume of requests we recieve regarding this issue we may add a section with "translations" of common European and Biblical names. Beyond that a custom research service would be nice, but will require a small fee. Thats fodder for the future!

But be sure to send us email with your request we just might be able to do it if it is straight forward and not too labor intensive, also post your request at the meeting place, the guest book and above all on the bullentin board

Can you find out the meaning of this African name for me?

Happy to but the same applies as the question above!!

Where do you get the names on your list?

Our names come from submissions to the site from surfers such as your self, name lists from a wide variety of Africans , our own knowledge of name meaning from African languages we are familiar with and research in available public sources, name books, novels, short stories, phone books from a number of African countries etc. We try to cross validate all name meanings with at least two reliable sources before posting.