African names often have a specific meaning. African names can be given based on various occasions. The names can reflect the time of day a child is born or season that the child is born. In other communities, babies are named after their dead relatives as a way of remembering someone who was very dear to either of the parents. Some names are given to prevent the baby from being sickly or early mortality. In other communities’ twins are given specific names, such that anyone who meets them will be able to recognize that they have a twin. Some African names are given according to the nature of the baby.
What is in African Names?
African names come from different tribes. Most of those who can from the coastal region names relating from Arab origin. This is because during the colonial period, Africans worked for the Arabs in the coastal region as slaves. In the post-colonial period, there were intermarriages between the Arabs and Africans which later on brought the emergence of the Swahili people. Most of the people in the coastal region have Swahili names due to this interaction. The Yoruba people for instance choose a name for a child according to the deity they worship.
The Naming Ceremony
The naming ceremony of an African child is usually conducted around 10 days after the birth of the child. This usually is a blissful ceremony, there is no distinction of inequality during this ceremony. A child I considered to be a gift, a very important gift. The birth certificate is filled after the naming ceremony of the child. In this ceremony, female friends of the family present their gifts to the mother whereas the male present theirs to the father.
Names are very important to a person’s life. A name can either uplift you or bring you down to the ground. Thus, it is very important to take a lot of considerations when naming your child. You do not want to give your newborn a name that will make him/her hate themselves for the rest of their lives.
Some of the most popular African names today are;
- Abdu – This is an Islamic name meaning a servant of God. This is an Islamic name for boys, other names with the same meaning are Abdul and Abdullahi.
- Abimbola – This is a unisex name for an African child, this names means that the child will be wealthy.
- Abioye – This is a boy’s name and it means the son of royalty.
- Adebowale – This is a unisex name meaning return to the crown.
- Adisa – This is a male name meaning the lucid one.
- Afia – This is a female name meaning the child was born on Friday.
- Akachi – This is a unisex African name meaning God’s hand.
- Akinyi – This is a female name for a baby girl born in the morning.
- Delu – This is an African name for a girl meaning the child is the only daughter.
- Deka – This is a name for a girl and it means ‘the pleasing one’.
- Debaku – This is a male name meaning that the baby was the eleventh child to the parents.
- Lerato – This is a female name meaning that the child will grow up to be a very beloved woman in future.
- Kwame – This is a male name to mean that he was born on a Saturday.
- Lekan – This is a male name that wealth is still growing in the family of the child.
- Kenya – This is a female name given to a child to mean that the child has been born around Mt. Kenya region in Kenya.
- Khari – This is an African name given to a boy and it means ‘like a king’, the boy is expected to behave and have the characteristics of a king.
Summary
African names are very unique in terms of their meaning and meaning. African names bring out the native nature of Africa. They say the name reflect the person. This may be the personality or behavior of the person. Africans are very keen when selecting names for their kids as it can impact negatively or positively on the child’s future.
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