NameCensus.

Origin

African names

Names of African origin. This page brings those names together so you can compare popularity, open individual name profiles and find names with the same background.

Name lists

African first names

These lists are ordered by total births, so names with long, steady use usually appear above newer or rarer choices.

Female names

African female names

Open a name to see its meaning, popularity over time, latest rank and regional spread.

  1. 1 Halima 3,346
  2. 2 Aminah 3,190
  3. 3 Malaika 2,262
  4. 4 Tanisha 2,119
  5. 5 Safiya 1,896
  6. 6 Kia 1,486
  7. 7 Keisha 1,239
  8. 8 Maha 867
  9. 9 Rabia 806
  10. 10 Jamila 788
  11. 11 Ameena 685
  12. 12 Muna 620
  13. 13 Faizah 594
  14. 14 Nailah 591
  15. 15 Ashanti 589
  16. 16 Kizzy 321
  17. 17 Zarina 269
  18. 18 Safina 267
  19. 19 Jamelia 259
  20. 20 Ameenah 231
  21. 21 Ramla 230
  22. 22 Ama 229
  23. 23 Adanna 219
  24. 24 Zina 152
  25. 25 Kesia 129
  26. 26 Rashida 122
  27. 27 Tanesha 119
  28. 28 Hasina 108
  29. 29 Karimah 96
  30. 30 Ashia 88
  31. 31 Alika 79
  32. 32 Jamilla 65
  33. 33 Neema 64
  34. 34 Adila 64
  35. 35 Dalila 57
  36. 36 Kanika 47
  37. 37 Makenna 43
  38. 38 Zaila 34
  39. 39 Kimmy 17
  40. 40 Lateefah 17
  41. 41 Semira 16
  42. 42 Mandisa 15
  43. 43 Ummi 14
  44. 44 Abina 11
  45. 45 Aba 9
  46. 46 Jemila 9
  47. 47 Adana 9
  48. 48 Zalika 8
  49. 49 Adiel 7
  50. 50 Tanishia 7
  51. 51 Jamilia 6
  52. 52 Kalifa 6
  53. 53 Lewa 6
  54. 54 Palesa 6
  55. 55 Abeni 6
  56. 56 Chipo 4
  57. 57 Oni 4

Male names

African male names

Open a name to compare its birth count, rank history, meaning and similar names.

  1. 1 Hasan 3,599
  2. 2 Aman 1,800
  3. 3 Zaid 1,572
  4. 4 Dawud 1,557
  5. 5 Abu 1,278
  6. 6 Omari 1,045
  7. 7 Zaki 1,014
  8. 8 Kasim 649
  9. 9 Naeem 467
  10. 10 Anwar 459
  11. 11 Salim 421
  12. 12 Paulo 244
  13. 13 Saleem 235
  14. 14 Abdalla 198
  15. 15 Chi 166
  16. 16 Harith 166
  17. 17 Ata 151
  18. 18 Jelani 132
  19. 19 Ajani 123
  20. 20 Asha 93
  21. 21 Jabari 93
  22. 22 Taj 86
  23. 23 Amiri 63
  24. 24 Adebayo 45
  25. 25 Adom 41
  26. 26 Shaka 30
  27. 27 Ayo 29
  28. 28 Abiola 29
  29. 29 Dakarai 27
  30. 30 Abayomi 25
  31. 31 Kayin 25
  32. 32 Essien 25
  33. 33 Chike 14
  34. 34 Chinua 13
  35. 35 Ade 9
  36. 36 Abiodun 9
  37. 37 Bron 9
  38. 38 Ashur 7
  39. 39 Tau 6
  40. 40 Yaro 5
  41. 41 Enam 4
  42. 42 Diallo 3
  43. 43 Chuma 3
  44. 44 Ramses 3
  45. 45 Babafemi 3
  46. 46 Adisa 3
  47. 47 Juma 3
  48. 48 Alem 3
  49. 49 Runako 3

How to read this page

Choosing an African name

Origin is a useful starting point, but names move across languages, families and countries. A name can belong to more than one tradition, especially when it has been used for centuries.

The individual name pages give the fuller picture. They show whether a name is rising or falling, how often it appears in recent birth records, and where it is strongest across the UK.

Explore

More name lists
All origins Female namesMale names

Questions

About African names

What makes a name African?

A name is grouped here when its meaning, language history or common use links it with african naming tradition. Some names also appear in other origin groups because naming history is messy, especially in Britain.

Are these names ranked by recent popularity?

No. The lists are ordered by total births in the UK baby-name figures. That makes long-running names easier to spot. Open any name to see its latest rank and yearly trend.

Why do some familiar names appear lower down?

A name can be famous without being common in birth records. Spelling variants can also split the count across several forms, so names such as Sean and Shaun may appear separately.