African names and surnames. Famous people

It is a vast territory on which deserted deserts and densely populated countries are concentrated. There are still preserved tribes living in the wild, which coexist with peoples from modern megacities. People from Africa are not like typical representatives of European countries: they have a different skin color, different beliefs, traditions, languages ​​and dialects. That is why African surnames and names are so unusual.

How surnames are formed

According to the beliefs of the peoples of the Congo, a child becomes a person only after he is given a name. It can mean a lot: events preceding the birth, the day of birth, status, information about the family. For example, Ndimuban-zee says that its owner is surrounded by enemies. It is also known that names can change during a person's life. A similar thing happens among one of the peoples - the Bafuts. This is done so that evil spirits cannot harm.

With surnames, the situation is different; they appeared among the peoples of Africa relatively recently, as a result of colonization. For trade, interaction with other peoples, the inhabitants of the country needed documents. Accordingly, more identification data was needed than just a name. In some educational institutions, African surnames are assigned to pupils or students after receiving a certificate of their completion.

Names and surnames in African countries

In Morocco, a person receives a surname when he leaves his native village for a neighboring one. Until that time, he uses his own name and the names of his parents (most often his father). If a person leaves far from his lands, then his surname is formed by the name of the tribe where he comes from. This is how male African surnames are formed.

In some West African countries, the nickname of the ancestor is attached to the name, and then the name of the locality, hometown or village follows. In some cases, the personal name does not contain additions, but consists of several words.

Features of the names of the Hausa people

Among the Hausa people, it is customary to name children after Islamic prophets. It is popular to give appellative names. They contain information about the profession of parents, the physical qualities of the child. For example, a male name Afiri receives a baby born very small (premature). Ibrahim Dereba- means that its carrier works as a driver.

Among the Hausa, it does not happen that the surname is inherited or as a result of marriage. Women retain their own name, which is only joined by a title denoting marriage.

Popular names and surnames

When using African surnames in Russian, some of them are inclined, but not all. For example, the surname of the public figure Yamaro Semoko is indeclinable.

A very common surname on the continent Traore. In South Africa, many immigrants from other regions and countries. Therefore, Indian, European surnames are found there, some are modified or abbreviated for convenience.

Names denoting the day a person was born are popular, for example, Jumaan(was born on Tuesday). Kwaku means the baby arrived on Wednesday morning. Giving my son a name Olhuuseun parents thank God. A popular female name is formed from the name of the capital city Dakar. There is a similar male, without the last vowel. Such beautiful female names as Naema, Abeni, which are translated as "amazing", "long-awaited". And from the men's Syed, which means "happy", and Eyo- "bringing joy."

Famous all over the world

In 1960, for the first time in history, a black African won the Olympic Games. It was a marathon participant from Ethiopia. known and remembered by the whole world. The African got the gold medal by running the distance without shoes, for which, as it is assumed, he did not even have money. Since then, all the inhabitants of the hot continent began to take Abebe Bikilu as an example to follow.

Another famous African is a football player from Cameroon Roger Milla. The participation of this legendary striker played a decisive role for the national team of his country in the world championship. Milla was recognized as the oldest player, he scored a ball in his 42. Other famous Cameroonian footballers who played with him are Stefan Mbia, Andre Onana, Toma N'Kono.

Writer from South Africa John M. Coetzee(Kutsy) won the Nobel Prize in Literature. He writes his works in English. Two of Coetzee's novels have been awarded the Booker Prize.

Famous politician Rolilahla Mandela Nelson He was also a Nobel laureate and was President of South Africa for several years. He belonged to the Xhosa people, and his name (Rolilahla) means "rebellious in spirit." In his country, the politician also had a clan name.

Today, women around the world have begun to call their sons after Cameroonian athletes. Residents of other countries are attracted by the amazing sound of African surnames. And by exploring the meanings and interesting facts about their appearance, you can learn a lot about the history of the continent and its population.

It is a vast territory on which deserted deserts and densely populated countries are concentrated. There are still preserved tribes living in the wild, which coexist with peoples from modern megacities. People from Africa are not like typical representatives of European countries: they have a different skin color, different beliefs, traditions, languages ​​and dialects. That is why African surnames and names are so unusual.

How surnames are formed

According to the beliefs of the peoples of the Congo, a child becomes a person only after he is given a name. It can mean a lot: events preceding the birth, the day of birth, status, information about the family. For example, Ndimuban-zee says that its owner is surrounded by enemies. It is also known that names can change during a person's life. A similar thing happens among one of the peoples - the Bafuts. This is done so that evil spirits cannot harm.

With surnames, the situation is different; they appeared among the peoples of Africa relatively recently, as a result of colonization. For trade, interaction with other peoples, the inhabitants of the country needed documents. Accordingly, more identification data was needed than just a name. In some educational institutions, African surnames are assigned to pupils or students after receiving a certificate of their completion.

Names and surnames in African countries

In Morocco, a person receives a surname when he leaves his native village for a neighboring one. Until that time, he uses his own name and the names of his parents (most often his father). If a person leaves far from his lands, then his surname is formed by the name of the tribe where he comes from. This is how male African surnames are formed.

In some West African countries, the nickname of the ancestor is attached to the name, and then the name of the locality, hometown or village follows. In some cases, the personal name does not contain additions, but consists of several words.

Features of the names of the Hausa people

Among the Hausa people, it is customary to name children after Islamic prophets. It is popular to give appellative names. They contain information about the profession of parents, the physical qualities of the child. For example, a male name Afiri receives a baby born very small (premature). Ibrahim Dereba- means that its carrier works as a driver.

Among the Hausa, it does not happen that the surname is inherited or as a result of marriage. Women retain their own name, which is only joined by a title denoting marriage.

Popular names and surnames

When using African surnames in Russian, some of them are inclined, but not all. For example, the surname of the public figure Yamaro Semoko is indeclinable.

A very common surname on the continent Traore. In a lot of immigrants from other regions and countries. Therefore, Indian, European surnames are found there, some are modified or abbreviated for convenience.

Denoting the day when a person was born, for example, Jumaan(was born on Tuesday). Kwaku means the baby arrived on Wednesday morning. Giving my son a name Olhuuseun parents thank God. A popular female name is formed from the name of the capital city Dakar. There is a similar male, without the last vowel. Such beautiful female names as Naema, Abeni, which are translated as "amazing", "long-awaited". And from the men's Syed, which means "happy", and Eyo- "bringing joy."

Famous all over the world

In 1960, for the first time in history, a black African won the Olympic Games. It was a marathon participant from Ethiopia. known and remembered by the whole world. The African got the gold medal by running the distance without shoes, for which, as it is assumed, he did not even have money. Since then, all the inhabitants of the hot continent began to take Abebe Bikilu as an example to follow.

Another famous African is a football player from Cameroon Roger Milla. The participation of this legendary striker played a decisive role for the national team of his country in the world championship. Milla was recognized as the oldest player, he scored the ball in his 42. Other famous Cameroonian footballers who played with him are Stefan Mbia, Andre Onana, Toma N'Kono.

Writer from South Africa John M. Coetzee(Kutsy) became He writes his works in English. Two of Coetzee's novels have been awarded the Booker Prize.

Famous politician Rolilahla Mandela Nelson He was also a Nobel laureate and was President of South Africa for several years. He belonged to the Xhosa people, and his name (Rolilahla) means "rebellious in spirit." In his country, the politician also had a clan name.

Today, women around the world have begun to call their sons after Cameroonian athletes. Residents of other countries are attracted by the amazing sound of African surnames. And by exploring the meanings and interesting facts about their appearance, you can learn a lot about the history of the continent and its population.

Talking about African names briefly is not easy. After all, Africa is a huge continent inhabited by various peoples. In our time, there are more than three thousand tribal and clan groups that have different traditions, religions, languages, customs, customs. And names. Therefore, we can only talk about the general origin stories of african names.

African naming traditions.

Meaning of African names hard to overestimate. At all times, the peoples of Africa gave them magical power. According to them, what name will be given to a person depends on his future fate. For example, Tanzanians often name their children after the presidents, one of the most popular names now is the name of the former president of Tanzania, Nyerere. Probably, mothers and fathers of little Nyerere hope that the name will have a positive impact on the fate of their child.

But the majority of the African population has a habit of changing their name several times during their lives. It is believed that until the age of majority or the rite of initiation, the child does not have a real name. Baby African names more like nicknames With playful value- Panya (mouse), Mapengo (split), Kidagaa (fish). Moreover, girls and boys are called the same names. After seven or forty days, sometimes after a year, the child is given a new name. It can be the name of one of the parents or relatives. During the initiation ceremony, the teenager receives a permanent name. Interestingly, twins tend to be given special names. People firmly believe that the birth of identical children is not complete without the participation of supernatural forces. For example, among peoples who speak Swahili, twins are often called Kurva and Doto.

Names-"relatives" and names-"titles".

In East Africa, there are traces of the custom of giving adult members of society two "secret" names, thanks to which kinship and social status were established. One of these names a man received from his father and passed on to his son. The second - from the mother and did not pass on to anyone. Thus, the partial or complete coincidence of the "secret" names spoke of consanguinity.

Many names in Africa do not differ by gender. But there are tribes where there are male and female names. So, among the numerous Wolof people, boys are called Samba, Demba, Latir, Yoro, and girls - Ngone, Kumba, Tako, Yasin, Kodu. Sometimes the names of animals are added to the names to emphasize the distinguishing feature of a person - Njai-gende (Njai-lion), Sise-ngari (Sise-bull).

Muslim and Christian names in Africa.

At different times, the main world religions - Islam and Christianity - spread on the African continent. They brought their names to the peoples of Africa.

Wordcloud: 50 MOT important African last names

Hundreds of different languages ​​on the African continent. Cultural and social differences between different countries in Africa are often significant. But what all people from Africa have in common is their roots. They show up in the name of the African family, and are also still very important to African culture. The inhabitants of Africa can be divided into over a thousand ethnic groups. Most profess more different tribal religions. Many others have become famous in Islam, but Christianity is found in African countries.

He erstplatziere is an African surname Azikiwe translates “Full force”, What is the name of the owner, a lot of good. A very well known representative is Nnamdi Azikiwe, First President of Nigeria 1963 to 1966. He also held the title of “Great zik of Africa”, one or even the most important politicians of West Africa in the transition from colonialism to independence.

Second place: Avolovo

The most famous bearers of the name were Jeremiah Obafemi Avolovo, Nigerian Politician, Unionist, Lawyer and Entrepreneur. We couldn't definitely learn the importance of Nachnames Avolovo, on our own, using searches in several languages. Learn more, We are counting on your mail!

Third place goes to Bello

The third most common surname in Africa is similar to Italian, or Spanish. Bello, which translates as "beautiful" means.

List of 50 most common surnames in Africa

1 Azikiwe
2 Avolovo
3 Bello
4 Balewa
5 Akintola
6 Okotie-Eboh
7 Nzeogwu
8 Onwuatuegwu
9 Okafor
10 Okereke
11 Okeke
12 Okonkwo
13 Okoye
Episode 14
15 Obasanjo
16 Babangida
17 Bukhari
18 Dimka
19 Diya
20 Odili
21 Jabar
22 Igbinedion
23 Alamiesiga
24 Yar'Adua
Chapter 25
26 Attah
27
28 Akuniili
29 Iweala
30 Okonjo
31 Ezekwesili
32 Achebe
33 Soinka
34
35 Gbadamosi
36 Olanrewaju
37 Magoro
38 Madaki
39 Jang
40
41 Oyenusi
42 Onyejekwe
43 Onwudiwe
44 Jakande
Chapter 45
46 Igwe
47 Eze
48 OBI
49 Independents
50 UBA

Africa is an amazing continent, the culture of which differs from the usual European and American ones. Amazing trees grow here, rare and unique representatives of the fauna live, and mysterious people live. Civilization reached this first stronghold of mankind, surprisingly intertwined with the local culture. African names are especially interesting, often beautiful, sometimes strange, incomprehensible to modern man. We invite you to familiarize yourself with them.

Africa is a rather large continent, on the territory of which a huge number of tribes and peoples live. There are many countries here that are not similar to each other, so there are plenty of name options. The history of the continent is amazing, it was here that life was born and the first great civilization appeared. That is why it is not possible to fully tell how African names originated, what sources were used by the peoples, why this or that option appeared.

However, let's get acquainted with the main ways of the emergence of anthroponyms:

• Initially, the child was given a playful name, for example Kidagaa - "fish", Panya - "mouse". At the same time, the gender of the child did not matter, often boys and girls had identical nicknames.
• Then the baby was named differently (in a week, 40 days or a year, depending on the traditions of a particular area), giving him the nickname of one of the parents or relatives. Finally, at the time of initiation, the child, having become a teenager, already received his true name.
• In addition, the kids also had secret names that could not be told to anyone, they received one of them from their father, the second from their mother. The name received from the father was then passed on to the son, received from the mother was not transmitted.
• Finally, the traditions of Christianity and Islam became another source of African names. When these world religions came to the black continent, they made their impact, many residents began to name their children after the prophet Muhammad or Orthodox and Catholic saints.

Note that there was a special tradition of chastising the twins. So, people believed that a woman gave birth to two babies for a reason, that there was some higher meaning in this, which is why such children were called in some unusual way, for example, Doto and Curva in Swahili.

Nature

Many female African names have their source in various natural phenomena, the names of plants, animals:

• Abangu - "who came from the thicket";
• Agak - "hawk";
• Agwang - "she-wolf";
• Aded, Grandfather - "green grasshopper";
• Anyang - "crocodile";
• Apanda - "donkey";
• Kamaria - "resembling the moon";
• Marjani - "coral";
• Ntanda - "asterisk".

Such options are very poetic, but in the modern world they are practically not found, giving way to Muslim and Christian borrowings. So, in African countries there are many Johns, Jacks, Roberts, Adams, Charles, as well as Sophie, Margaret, Elizabeth, Chloe, Alison. And traditional options are used only by residents of remote areas.

The realities of nature for boys

Among the male African names, there are many that also have various natural phenomena and animals as their source. Here they are:

• Budd - "night";
• Bovaddin - "large-sized dog";
• Buru - "bull";
• Ganju - "cat from the wild";
• Gachi - "a small river";
• Delmar - "endless sea";
• Jikoni - "bird";
• Dub - "zebra";
• Kobe, Fudu - "slow turtle";
• Simba, To - "the king of animals, the lion";
• Ffamb - "viverra".

Some names are the same for boys and girls, for example Grandfather - "green grasshopper", Ntanda - "star".

Order at birth

Speaking about African names and their meaning, it should be noted that a very large number of them are connected with the order in which the child was born. So, among women it can be noted:

• Apayon, Apiio, Babiray - "the first of the twins";
• Adongo, Nakato - "the second girl from the twins";
• Kanto - "third baby";
• Anan - "fourth";
• Enu - "fifth";
• Nsiya - "sixth";
• Nsonoua - "seventh";
• Oovti - "eighth";
• Nkrumah - "ninth".

As you can see, African families were large, many children were born.

Men's options are also presented:

• Baako, Chilongola - "first son";
• Isingoma, Wasswa - "first twin";
• Kato is the "second twin".

Options for the fourth, fifth and subsequent babies are the same as for women.

Birthday

Another source for beautiful African names is the day the baby was born. Let's look at some examples:

• Adjoa, Aduora - "born on Monday";
• Quadro, Kojo - "born on Monday";
• Abena - "was born on Tuesday";
• Jumaan, Kwabena, Kobina - "a boy born on Tuesday";
• Akua, Ekua (female); Kwaku, Kweku (male) - "on Wednesday";
• Yaa (female), Hamizi, Yav (male) - “on Thursday”;
• Afia, Afua, Mwanajuma, Efua (female); Kofi (male) - "on Friday";
• Ama (female), Barasa, Kvam (male) - "on Saturday";
• Akozua, Yezi (female); Bozed, Kwasi, Kwezi (male) - "on Sunday".

Characteristics

There are a lot of African names and those based on certain human qualities or occupations. Consider examples of options for girls:

• Abuto - "secret", "mysterious";
• Advar - "huntress";
• Akoko - "noisy";
• Amaka, Zeri - "beauty";
• Atich - "hard-working";
• Boipelo - "proud";
• Kajiso - "peaceful";
• Lindive - "long-awaited child";
• Katlego - "successful";
• Meikna - "happy";
• Ndidi - "patient";
• Ntombi - "real lady";
• They are "born in a sacred place";
• Ramla - "sorceress";
• Soda - "dark-faced";
• Tsholofelo - corresponds to the Russian name Nadezhda;
• Eyira - "chosen one".

There are many similar names for boys:

• Abimbola - "born to live rich";
• Adio - "pious";
• Boipelo - "proud";
• Bomani - "fighter";
• Bohleil - "wise";
• Gwala - "cowardly";
• Jebhuza - "sword-bearer";
• Jero - "cruel";
• Zikimo - "great";
• Kamo - "humble warrior";
• Kernils - "playing the trumpet";
• Nkozana - "prince";
• Fangei - "thinking";
• Khlenjiv - "saved."

These are the main names of African peoples. Of course, many of them have ceased to be actively used, giving way to European borrowings, but in remote corners of the continent, where the influence of civilization was not so strong, you can meet a girl or a young man named in the best traditions of his people.

African names: male and female, beautiful and interesting on the site.

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