The Best 100 African Baby Boy Names

Molweni! Starting your search for African boy names for your new arrival? Congratulations.

Africa is a huge continent. It’s home to over 3,000 ethnic groups, with almost as many languages. And the African diaspora spans the globe. So when we talk about African boy names, the category is wide.

African Names for boys are derived from complex, rich and diverse naming traditions. They speak to the status of the family’s well-being at the time of the birth of the baby, family birth order, spirituality, time of birth, and hopes for the future.

Long understood as humanity’s birthplace, the richness of language and tradition on this continent is unique and powerful.

Let’s start by taking a look at some of the most in-demand options for African baby boy names:

In this article: 📝

What are popular African names?

Here are some of the winning entries:

1. Abdullah. Servant of God.
2. Amari. Meaning eternal. This name is common in Yoruba cultures as well.
3. Bongani. The Thank you.
4. Femi. The Usually, Olufemi is the full name. It means God loves you. The Femi part means love me. It is also beautiful.
5. Hakim. The ruler. Or wise. It is powerful no matter how you spin it.
6. Lethabo. Thabo, a popular name that means happiness and joy, is commonly abbreviated to this.
7. Mandla. For strength. 💪🏾
8. Ola. Ola is popular in West Africa, but it also has roots all around the globe. It means “high” or “arise”.
9. Sipho. Gift 🎁 You’re welcome.
10. Siyabonga. We are grateful. We are truly grateful.

And now let’s take a trip around the continent. ✈️ 🌍

South African boy names

(South Africa is a country. The Southern African region includes Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These are all the places where our names came from.)*

1. Amogelang. Receive. 🙏🏾
2. Arno. Afrikaans with Germanic roots, Arno means eagle.🦅
3. Bandile. The The family is expanding.
4. Dakarai. Shona for happiness. And there’s Dakarai Allen, if you’re looking to inspire a baller in the house. 🏀
5. Jabulani. The One that rejoices.
6. Junior. This little name is timeless.
7. Kamogelo. Welcoming. 💛
8. Katlego. Erfolg! 🎉
9. Lubanzi. A Zulu name meaning Love of God
10. Melokuhle. Melokuhle is a Xhosa word that means to stand for the right.
11. Mpho. Meaning gift 🎁, this lovely name is gender non-specific.
12. Onkarabile. God has heard our prayers.
13. Rufaro. God has heard our prayers. 🙏🏾This name has Shona roots.
14. Sbusiso. Blessed. 💗
15. Simbarashe. The The Power of God. And if you’re looking for cute african boy names, this mighty name shortens to sweet Simba.
16. Sizwe. Common Zulu name, with unifying meaning: nation
17. Tau. Lion. 🦁
18. Teboho. Thankful. Peace.
19. Thulani. The The quiet one.
20. Tshepiso. Promise.

East African boy names

(East Africa includes Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Somaliland, Tanzania, and Uganda.)

1. Abasi. Abasi means “stern”. Don’t mess with this little guy.
2. Amare. It means handsome boy.
3. Azizi. The It is a precious one.
4. Badru. Badru was born at full moon. 🌕
5. Bwana. Sir. Gentleman. The big boss.
6. Dalmar. An interesting Somali name meaning versatile.
7. Damu, the child of Enki, the god of vegetation. 🥬 A fruitful start.
8. Ibrahim. Many children’s father.
9. Jomo. Farmer. 🚜
10. Juma. Born on Friday.
11. Mosi. First child.
12. Mwenye. Owner. Lord. Boss. A real power name.
13. Omari. Praise God.
14. Radhi. Forgiveness.
15. Tafari. He inspires wonder. 🌠

West African boy names

(West Africa is made up of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha.)

1. Abiola. This name is Yoruba and means “born in honor and wealth”. 💸
2. Abrafo. A Ghanaian name that means warrior.
3. Addo. For the King of The Road.
4. Adisa. The Clear one. These are worth at least one in a family.
5. Amadi. Amadi.
6. Babatunde. The The father is back.
7. Baako. Baako.
8. Chidike. God is strong.
9. Chinua means God’s Own Blessing—a great name to have when Things Fall Apart. 📕
10. Chuks. The short form of Chukwuemeka is it means God did great works. (And don’t you just want to call every cute baby Chuks?)
11. Dzigbode. Dzigbode is a name that refers to Ghanaian patience.
12. Fela. Happy and blessed. And, um, Fela Kuti. ♪♩
13. Jawara. Peace lover. 💙
14. Kaikura means like a squirrel.🐿️ Might be appropriate?

North African boy names

(This area includes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.)

1. Ahmed. Highly praised and praised.
2. Ashraf. Distinguished. Noble.
3. Baahir. Brilliant, brilliant and dazzleling ✨
4. Babu. In Egypt, this means Osiris’s firstborn. Osiris is also the God of fertility and agriculture.
5. Bahman. The Bahman, 11th month in the Persian calendar, means snow avalanche.
6. Bassel. Brave.
7. Essam. Protect. Protect.
8. Gamal. God is my reward.
9. Halif. Ally. One who promises.
10. Hasani. Handsome one—the name every mama wants to give her son.
11. Khalid. Immortal.
12. Mahmoud. The One of the most admired.
13. Malik. King. 👑
14. Moustafa. It is one of the names used by Muhammad and means chosen one.
15. Nabil. Noble.
16. Nakia. Pure and faithful
17. Ramses. Ra, the son of the sun god. ☀️
18. Shakir. Grateful.
19. Tariq. To strike. To act.
20. Youssef. God increases in power.
21. Zuberi. Strong.

And because Africa expands beyond the continent:

African American boy names

1. Antoine. Antoine, a French name meaning praiseworthy, is a common one.
2. Cornell. A popular name after one of the smartest birds in the world— the crow.
3. Darius. Rich and kingly. 👑
4. Darnell. The hidden spot. 🔍
5. Demetrius. It’s an ancient Greek name meaning earth lover. 🌱
6. Denzel. The wild one. What are some strong male names? This might be the best.
7. Elijah. God is all powerful.
8. Grady. A name that means noble in Irish.
9. Izaak. Laughter. 💖
10. Jayden. Thankful. 🙏🏾There are many famous athletes and musicians.
11. Jeremiah. God will lift you up.
12. Kofi. Born on a Friday
13. Marcel. Young warrior. Mars-belonging.
14. Marquis. Marquis is an old French name which means noble.
15. Raffiel. Healer.
16. Terrell. Stubborn.
17. Terrence. Smooooooth.
18. Treyvon. Gift from God shining from sunlight.
19. Xavier. It is a Spanish word that means bright, shining, new. 🔆
20. Zahair. Blossoming. 🌼

Uhambe kakuhle, mama.

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