Africa is home to several language families and hundreds of languages all these different cultures countries and people have something in common they can be found now world wide and one way of keeping and telling others about your roots is African Surname and there for it is considered as very important in todays African culture. The birthplace of humanity. African American last names are connected to a long history of slavery. A Latin origin name which means ‘noble.’ Patricia is another variant of the name! Female | Amahle, meaning “the beautiful one”, is a popular Zulu name and is pronounced Ah-MAH-she. Some other Ashanti last names - Acheampong, Osei, Tuffour, Adu, Kuffour, Asante, Agyeman(g), Oppong, Asamoah and more. More Filters. The following tables include all surnames with over 0.001% frequency in the US population during the 1990 census. But by the grace of God, my first and middle names are not only African but reflect the ethnic origin of where I know my maternal ancestors come from, the Mandinka people. Tawedzwegwa Purpose Katakwa, Zimbabwe. The need for customers to want a SIM swap or port from one mobile network to another can arise at any moment. What a wonderful name; Maduabuchi Onwuachimba (Igbo-Nigeria). Let’s take an examples of one of the most popular last names in Africa, the former South African president Nelson Mandela. The following is a list of the most common surnames for people who self-identified as "Black" in America during the 2000 Census. Maduabuchi means Humans are not God. How big and representative is the sample. Moreover, being under the watchful eyes of the public has been said to do more harm... DStv Ghana has a variety of packages because it recognizes that different customers have different entertainment needs. In May 2003 I took a genetics test and found out that I’m a direct descendent of the Mandinkas maternally. View the latest boy and girl African names at Mom365. From the time I got to know about the traditional meaning of my name, I developed a sense of responsiblity to my Family, my heritage and my culture. As stated earlier, a person’s surname in Africa has a lot to say about his culture and family background. Last Updated: April 3, 2020 . Achebe (Igbo origin) meaning "the Goddess protects". When in diaspora in the United States, Britain, France or anywhere else, a typical African man would always go back to his roots. A family’s history can be easily traced from a given surname. Africa which is the third largest continent in the world has their own cultures and beliefs which also differs among the tribes and nations in Africa. Please use this up to date list of African name as a reference to name your kid/child. Nigeria is a sovereign country located in West Africa bordering Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west. these are very interesting surnames because peoples around the world always looking for these surnames or last names of the Nigerian peoples. Relationships aren't without their individual ups and downs. Paul Gisemba, Kenya, Given the importance of names in my social background (among the Dinka people), I am proud to be one of those named after the “famous” legendary ancestor of the Dinka people of Sudan, Deng, who was believed to be the direct decendant of Adam (Garang) and Eve (Abuk). The history behind African American surnames isn’t actually that well known, and it is a little upsetting. Quanesia. With Africa as the second largest continent on the planet with a huge population of over 1 billion people, you are in for lots of very interesting African last names. An African last name holds a lot of meaning and symbolism. Williams - It is derived from the elements will, "desire or will," and helm, "helmet or protection." – A friend or a beloved. African names have always been associated with personal identity and personality structure expressed in the hopes and aspirations of the parents and passed on to the individual child. But note that while the names are heavily based on real town and city names, the names generated are still random and thus might not always fit in a real setting. These names not only have cultural meaning but also have blessings attached to them either by a family head or by traditional rulers. West African Last Names West Africa is home to some of the most popular African last names. Ghana’s founding father Kwame Nkrumah chose to name his two sons after fellow African leaders. Some of these are definitely combined. When my mother was pregnant, she was always fighting with my father and his family; she was in this constant state of depression. When you hear Ghanaians with English or rather Westernised last names, they’re normally Fante as well. The Unknown History Behind African American Last Names. I am trying to find out if the sir name(last name) can indicate what part of Africa a person is from. what are the parameters you have used to arrive at this results ? Last name Onwuachimba means Death could never wipe out a community. Western African names include those from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Search Belly Ballot to discover the popularity, meanings, and origins of thousands of names from around the world. 20. African names represent ancestral meanings from the first tribes on the planet to modern day societies. Female | Annika is an … It took me most of my life to come to this understanding about my name. African names comes with great pride and power. Ruby. Derefaka Gogo, Canada, In Most West African countries (Togo, Benin, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire), the majority of Southern people name their children based on their day of birth. Nkrumah is not alone in fostering the identity of Africanism – the late President Mobutu Sese Seko dropped his own Christian name and even renamed his country – the then Belgian Congo – which became Zaire. And a Nigerian friend has told me that many Ibo names are equivalent compounds of the divine’s name and some desirable relationship. Most important task is giving a name to the baby that would be parents usually do. DIOP Western African , Wolof From Joob , the name of a Wolof clan, derived from a totemic word meaning "black craned swan" or "peacock". (Both proud and amused!). See also about French names. If you don’t discover a name you like, please review the 5,508 names in The African Book of Names or try our African Name Generator. Western African names include those from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, ... a variant of ONYEKACHI using Chukwu as the last element, which is the extended form of Chi meaning "God". hausas are the most populous group in nigeria. But another way to detect nationality or cultural background is a person’s last name. 19. 100 Unique and Most Common African Last Names (Surnames), While doing our research for African Names we found these interesting aricle parts and we feel like sharing them with you, My name (Noxolo) means peace in Xhosa. AGYARE Akan Meaning unknown. Immediately after primary school education, pupils have to move over to the next phase of life and that is secondary school education. West African town name generator . An African given name can tell you a lot about the circumstances of a child’s birth. Amahle. The name list is disproportionately nigerian . In African culture, it is very important to have the clan’s name with their name even though you don’t have a surname. Common African Last Names (51) Attah (52) Chukwumereije (53) Fofana (54) Iweala (55) Osei (56) Ezekwesili (57) Keita (58) Soyinka (59) Solarin (60) Gbadamosi (61) Olanrewaju (62) Magoro (63) Madaki (64) Jang (65) Oyinlola (66) Oyenusi (67) Sow (68) Onwudiwe (70) Jakande (71) Sane (72) Igwe (73) Sylla (74) Obi (75) Gueye (76) Uba (77) Kalu (78) Orji (79) Ohakim (80) Egwu Masai (name) Mbarga; Mbaye; Mburu; Mbye; McGluwa; Mendy (surname) Mofu (surname) Moloi Select filters then press SEARCH below + Gender. BR, USA, I am responding to Vince Gainey’s point – “Why are African Christians so ashamed of their Christian names in comparison to Muslims who have pride in their Arabic Islamic names.” I think Vince is confusing “European” with “Christian”. Nowhere in the Bible does it say one should have a Christian name and it certainly did not require it to be English or Western. It is actually an oxymoron, a religious friend has suggested I change my name BUT, why should I? However, my curiosity about whether the last name "James" was more common among Black Americans than other Americans resulted in this pancocojams post on 100 most common Black American surnames. Here's the link for that pancocojams post about … Playing with names really is part of many African cultures. The country’s most popular names are a result of a rich history and have been influenced by everything, from the European settlers to traditional Xhosa and Zulu inhabitants. Most Popular African Last Names on FamilyEducation: Ba, Ballo, Diallo. What a wonderful name; Maduabuchi Onwuachimba (Igbo-Nigeria). Other names reflect the birth order of the newborn, for example Mosi “first born”, Kunto “third born”, Nsonowa “seventh born”, and Wasswa “first of twins”. My African name reflects my personality – I hate fights and arguments ; I am a peaceful person. These names are a subset of French names used more often in Africa (in regions where French is spoken as a first or second language). This vast database of African names has been compiled from various references and suggestions provided by our web site users and resources partners. African last names or surnames have deeper meanings than many think. The data, which may include people who identified themselves as African-American, African, or other ethnic or racial groups, is derived from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Akers – arable land. Abebe (Amharic origin) meaning "flower". A common name throughout West Africa, it is the French transcription of a surname of Fula origin. When we come to my dad’s name “Negussie” it means “my king” and my grandpas name “Aberra” means “it’s shining” so when you read my entire name it has a meaning of “Daniel my king shines.” Yeah, I hope I will shine forever and be a man for a change. —Kenya, Uganda (Luhya) Enjoy these royal names.. The surname Keita gained prominence after the rule of the Keita dynasty from the 11th to the 17th century. Thanks! My parents wanting to embue me with an African name, unknowingly gave me a first and middle name that reflects part of my ethnic origin This is perhaps the most common last name identified with blacks. As such, someone's name is likely to tell you more about his country of origin and tribe. Slippery ground does not recognize kings. Sekou Nkrumah was named after Guinea’s first President Sekou Toure, while Gamal Nkrumah got his name from Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Some names denote the day of the week the child was born, or the birth order of the siblings, or even characteristic the parents wish their child to inherit. So “Ndubueze” means that “life is king” – to live is to be a king. VAN LINGEN Afrikaans. His reason was to rid the country of all of Mobutu’s influence and he felt a change of name was the way to do it. For example: Sefu “sword” and Tau “lion” (masculine) and Marjani “coral” and Ife “love” (feminine). Some of the names on this list have similar meanings but are derived from different languages and tribes. So, unsurprisingly, it is also home to a broad spectrum of unique, cool and interesting African last names. Any child named after the above names is a blessed one whom the community expect to live up to the due reputation e.g has leadership qualities and being honest. African American surnames have also gained popularity. In this case, anyone who bears the surname is identified as a descendant of a warlord. 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