Malika: One you've likely heard, this popular African girl name belongs to a Kardashian BFF and, meaning “queen,” it would be a very worthy choice for your little girl.
Afia is a feminine name with Ghanian roots. In the country's Akan language, this name is part of their day-naming tradition and translates to “born on Friday.” If your little one is joining your family on this day, this moniker can be a great choice to commemorate it.
Kojo is a fitting masculine name for a Monday's child. A variant of the Ghanaian Kwadwo found in the Fante and Ga dialects, Kojo means "born on Monday." Much more than denoting a day of birth, Kojo embraces the cultural belief of the Akan people that each day represents a deity and particular characteristics.
SECRETS AND MEANINGS OF TRADITIONAL GHANAIAN/ AKAN DAY-BORN NAMES || UNDERSTAND YOUR ROOTS
What does "juju" mean in Ghana?
Juju is a word of West African origin, derived from the French joujou ('toy') and its connection to the spiritual realm and ghosts means that 19th-century Europeans regarded it as a type of witchcraft or 'black magic'.
'Kaya” is a “hausa” (lingua franca spoken in some parts of northern Ghana) word meaning goods and “yoo” is a “Ga” (language spoken by natives of Accra) word meaning woman, thus yei” being women (Opare, 2003).
It's a spelling variant of the Irish name Ciara, which means "dark-haired." It's also a variation of the Italian name Chiara, which is derived from the Late Latin name Clarus and means "clear," "bright," or "famous."
Amma is a girl's name that means “born on a Saturday” and is a variation of the Ghanaian moniker Ama, which comes from Akan. Among the Akan people, each day of the week is associated with a name, and Ama is used for girls born on this much-loved day.
Zarina has Persian roots but is used in many African languages, meaning "of gold," "golden," or "keeper of gold," representing something precious and valuable.
Zuri is a given name of Swahili origin meaning “beautiful.” It has been among the 1,000 most popular names for newborn girls in the United States since 2010 and among the top 300 names since 2018. Zuri was among the five most popular names for Black newborn girls in the American state of Virginia in 2022.
Kofi is a boy's name of Ghanian origin. This name translates from the Akan language to “born on Friday”, which clues you in on its origins. It is traditionally a name popular among the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
Simba's mother's name, Sarabi, means “mirage” an interesting choice, but a gorgeous word nonetheless. Some might say the lionesses are blessed with the most beautiful names.
Kiana is a girl's name of Hawaiian origin. Meaning “divine” or “heavenly”, the name Kiana comes from the variation of the much-loved princess name Diana. Kiana is also associated with Roman mythology as Diana is a moon goddess most powerful in the woods and a strong symbol of fertility.
Oheneba is a regal rank given to both female or male child of a king or chief. It is the equivalent of prince or princess (from Latin princeps, meaning principal citizen).
AYA (pronounced as “eye–ah”) is part of adinkra—visual symbols linked to the (former) Gyaman kingdom (Côte d'Ivoire) and Ashanti culture (Ghana). The word Aya is derived from the Twi language, and is translated to “fern”. Aya is a symbol of endurance, resourcefulness, and defiance against oppression (Kojo Arthur, 2017)
To say you are beautiful in the Twi language, say “wo ho ye fɛ.” “fɛ” is a Twi language adjective that describes beauty. It can be used to describe beauty in any gender.
