African Surnames

African names are used on the continent of Africa, covering a wide number of languages. See also about African names.

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+Letters

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the letters in the pattern are compared to the letters in the name * is a wildcard that matches zero or more letters example: oo matches names which contain oo _ is a wildcard that matches exactly one letter example: __z matches names which have two letters and then z

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+Meaning and keywords

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separate search terms with spaces search for an exact phrase by surrounding it with double quotes this field understands simple boolean logic force a term to be included by preceding it with a + sign force a term to be excluded by preceding it with a - sign expand search to include grammatical forms: attempt to include grammatical forms of the meanings example: speak includes spoke expand search to include close synonyms: attempt to include synonyms of the meanings example: brave includes courageous expand search to include search narrower synonyms: attempt to include subclasses of the meanings example: reptile includes turtle expand search to related names: allow related names to inherit the meaning of the main form
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	ignore name meanings
the description is the meaning and history write-up for the name separate search terms with spaces search for an exact phrase by surrounding it with double quotes example: "lord of the rings" matches names from the novel 'The Lord of the Rings' this field understands simple boolean logic force a term to be included by preceding it with a + sign force a term to be excluded by preceding it with a - sign example: +greek +(legend myth) -zeus matches Greek names of myths or legends not about Zeus ignore name meanings: keywords from the name meanings are ignored

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+Sound and syllables

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	case sensitive
see the pronunciation key for a guide on how to write the sounds sounds can only be searched in names that have been assigned pronunciations * is a wildcard that will match zero or more letters in the pronunciation example: lee matches names which end with the sound lee* _ is a wildcard that will match exactly one letter in the pronunciation example: __z matches names which have two letters and then a z (s) matches exactly one syllable in the pronunciation example: (s)(s)ra matches names which have two syllables and then the sound rah (c) matches a consonant (k) matches a consonant or consonant cluster (v) matches a vowel (p) matches a plosive or stop consonant (f) matches a fricative consonant (n) matches a nasal consonant case sensitive: check this if you wish distinguish between unstressed lowercase sounds and stressed uppercase sounds
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syllables can only be counted in names that have been assigned pronunciations names without pronunciations are excluded from results

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	expand search to ancestral names
the "relationship" is how the name relates to its parent name example: searching for diminutive matches Betsy because it is a diminutive of its parent Elizabeth selecting *(all core forms)* excludes peripheral forms such as diminutives, short forms, and combinations expand search to ancestral names: relationships between names further up the family tree are included

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Abiodun Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Abiodun.

Abioye Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Abioye.

Adebayo Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Adebayo.

Afolabi Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Afolabi.

Afolayan Western African, Yoruba
Means "walks like a wealthy person, walks with confidence" in Yoruba.

Arendse Southern African, Afrikaans
Variant of Arends.

Ayodele Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Ayodele.

Babatunde Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Babatunde.

Botha Southern African, Afrikaans
South African variant of Both.

Idowu Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Idowu.

Ihejirika Western African, Igbo
Means "the one that I have is greater" in Igbo.

Kamau Eastern African, Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Kamau.

Kariuki Eastern African, Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Kariuki.

Kayode Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Kayode.

Kenyatta Eastern African, Kikuyu
From kinyata, the name of a type of ornamental belt worn by the Maasai. This was the surname of the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978). He adopted the surname in his youth.

Maina Eastern African, Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Maina.

Mwangi Eastern African, Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Mwangi.

Obama Eastern African, Luo
From a rare Luo given name meaning "crooked, bent". It was possibly originally given to a baby who had an arm or leg that looked slightly bent immediately after birth or who was born in the breech position.

Okafor Western African, Igbo
From the given name Okafor.

Okeke Western African, Igbo
From the given name Okeke.

Okonkwo Western African, Igbo
From the given name Okonkwo.

Okorie Western African, Igbo
From the given name Okorie.

Olayinka Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Olayinka.

Opeyemi Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Opeyemi.

Otieno Eastern African, Luo
Derived from the given name Otieno.

Pretorius Southern African, Afrikaans
From Latin praetor meaning "leader". This name was adopted in the 17th century by Wesselius Praetorius as a Latin translation of his previous surname Schulte. It is now common in South Africa.

Temitope Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Temitope.

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