26 African Girl Names with Meanings

Every African girl name below comes with its meaning or origin — and 1 of the 26 names include the native spelling, drawn from Wikipedia. Jump to a letter, or play the duel game: choose between two names at a time until your personal top 10 remains.

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A B C E F K L M N S T Z

African girl names starting with A

AbebechAbebech is an Ethiopian feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: Abebech Afework (born 1990), Ethiopian long-distance runner Abebech Gobena (1935–2021), Ethiopian humanitarian Abebech Negussie (born 1983), Ethiopian middle-distance runner
AdebukolaAdebukola is a given name. Notable people with the name include: Adebukola Banjoko, Nigerian judge Adebukola Oladipupo (born 1994), Nigerian actress
AdutAdut is an African feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: Adut Akech (born 1999), South Sudanese-Australian model Adut Bulgak (born 1992), South Sudanese-Canadian basketball player
AstouAstou is a Senegalese feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: Astou Ndiaye-Diatta (born 1973), Senegalese basketball player Astou Ndour, Spanish-Senegalese basketball player Astou Traoré (born 1981), Senegalese basketball player

African girl names starting with B

BalarabaالأربعاءBalaraba is a feminine name of Hausa origin, which is used in Nigeria. One meaning of the name is 'beautiful princess' or 'queen'.
BintouBintou is a given name.

African girl names starting with C

ChinenyeChinenye is a Nigerian Igbo language name. The name may refer to: Chinenye Akinlade (born 1980), Nigerian beauty pageant titleholder Chinenye Fidelis (born 1993), Nigerian female weightlifter Chiney Ogwumike (born 1992), Nigerian American Basketball player…

African girl names starting with E

EberechiEberechi is an Igbo given name that means “the mercy of God”. It is unisex but mainly used for girls.

African girl names starting with F

FatmataFatmata is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: Fatmata Binta (born 1980), Sierra Leonean-born chef and restauranteur Fatmata Fofanah (born 1985), Sierra Leonean-born Guinean athlete specializing in 100 metres hurdles Fatmata Turay,…

African girl names starting with K

KadidiatouKadidiatou or Khadidiatou is a feminine given name. Notable people with this name include: Abdoulaye Diori Kadidiatou Ly (born 1952) president of the Constitutional Court of Niger Kadidiatou Diani (born 1995), French footballer Khadidiatou Diallo, Senegalese…

African girl names starting with L

LinetLinet is a feminine given name.

African girl names starting with M

MariamaMariama is a female name. It may refer to: Mariama Bâ (1929–1981), Senegalese author and feminist Mariama Gaye (born 1993), Gambian-Swedish model Mariama Barry, Senegalese novelist Mariama Sonah Bah (born 1978), Guinean judoka Mariama Souley Bana (born 1987),…

African girl names starting with N

NaanaNaana is a feminine given name of Ghanaian origin.
NahlaNahla is a feminine given name of Arabic origin. The name is of Arabic origin meaning "first drink of water" or "water in the desert", there's also Nahla valley in Iraq.
NgalulaNgalula or N'Galula is a Congolese Unisex given name surname. Notable people with the surname include:
NkechiNkechi is a feminine name of Igbo origin. It is given in its own right but can also be short for Nkechinyere.
NkemNkem (pronounced n-kem as in never, no, nine) is a unisex given name found among the Igbo people of Nigeria. It is a short form of either Nkemdilim/Nkemdirim, Nkemjika, Nkemakolam or Nkemakonam and means "mine" or "my own."
NyibolNyibol is a common name among the Dinka people of South Sudan, given to girls and meaning "moon". The name represents a girl born after twins.
NyotaNyota is a given name. It means star in the African languages Swahili and Lingala.
NzingaNzinga may refer to:

African girl names starting with S

SalimataSalimata is a feminine West African given name, a form of Salima, the feminine form of Arabic Salim, which means "safe" or intact".
SerwaaSerwaa is both a Ghanaian feminine given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:

African girl names starting with T

TanishaTanisha is a feminine given name in many cultures. In the Sanskrit language, Tanisha is the feminine equivalent of the name Tanish and persons with the name are commonly Hindu by religion or of the Indo-Aryan peoples.
ThandiweThandiwe is a given name of Nguni origin which means "beloved". Notable people with the name include: Thandiwe Abdullah, American civic activist Thandiwe Banda (born 1971/1972), Zambian political science teacher; First Lady of Zambia Thandiwe Mweetwa (born…
TheopistaTheopista is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: Theopista (died 118), Christian saint Theopista Sekitto Ntale (born 1970), Ugandan banker, social entrepreneur and philanthropist Nabulya Theopista Ssentongo (born 1951), Ugandan…

African girl names starting with Z

ZamzamZamzam is a given name of East African origin.

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Frequently asked questions

How many African girl names are in this list?

This list has 26 African girl names, from Abebech to Zamzam, and 1 of them include the native spelling. Every entry comes with its meaning or origin, sourced from Wikipedia.

What are some well-known African girl names?

Well-documented African girl names include Kadidiatou, Thandiwe, Mariama, Salimata and Fatmata. Scroll the list above for the meaning and origin of each one.

How do I choose the best African girl name?

Reading a list only gets you so far — comparing names head to head is faster. Play Name Duel with this set: it shows you two African girl names at a time, and your choices eliminate names round by round until your personal top 10 remains.