Common African Names by Region

West Africa

• Male: Kwame, Kofi, Yaw (Akan); Femi, Adetokunbo, Adekunle (Yoruba); Chinedu, Chima, Emeka, Kelechi (Igbo); Serigne, Moustapha, Cheikh (Wolof).
• Female: Adwoa, Afua, Efia (Akan); Adebola, Omowunmi, Ebunoluwa (Yoruba); Amarachi, Chioma, Nneoma (Igbo); Fatou, Aissatou, Ndeye (Wolof).

North Africa

• Male: Ahmed, Mohammed, Ali (Arab); Hassan, Mohammed, Omar (Berber); Mustafa, Abdulrahman, Saif (Libyan); Youssef, Anis, Khaled (Tunisian).
• Female: Amira, Fatima, Sarah (Arab); Fatima, Zineb, Nadia (Berber); Huda, Amira, Fatima (Libyan); Amira, Meriem, Sarra (Tunisian).

East Africa

• Male: Ali, Mohammed, Omari (Swahili); Moses, Simiyu, Wafula (Luhya); Abey, Tesfaye, Yohannes (Amharic); Lelisa, Assefa, Dulaa (Oromo).
• Female: Halima, Khadija, Aisha (Swahili); Nafula, Wambui, Nekesa (Luhya); Almaz, Tigist, Selamawit (Amharic); Birtukan, Eyerusalem, Fantish (Oromo).

Central Africa

• Male: Koffi, Jean, Pierre (Lingala); Nzeza, Mbotela, Kiala (Kikongo); Fotso, Tchoumi, Kamdem (Bamileke); Patrice, Jean-Pierre, Martin (Gbaya).
• Female: Mamie, Mpemba, Ngelema (Lingala); Nzenze, Nzuzi, Ntumba (Kikongo); Wambo, Kedi, Meuteugue (Bamileke); Marie-Chantal, Judith, Patricia (Gbaya).

Southern Africa

• Male: Sipho, Thando, Bongani (Bantu); Ndodana, Moyo, Ndlovu (Ndebele); Farai, Tafadzwa, Tendai (Shona); Kabelo, Tshepo, Mpho (Tswana).
• Female: Lerato, Naledi, Neo (Bantu); Nomagugu, Sthandwa, Thandiwe (Ndebele); Nyasha, Ruvimbo, Tariro (Shona); Keabetswe, Keitumetse, Tsholofelo (Tswana).