African Submitted Surnames
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AGBAJE Nigerian, YorubaMeaning unknown. A bearer is
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (1967-), an English actor and model of Yoruba Nigerian descent.
AGU IgboAgu is an Igbo surname; the word Agu means Tiger in Igobo language.
AGUER Dinkathe name was mainly given to boys of the Dinka tribe ,mainly in the Upper Nile state of South Sudan. meaning is unknown but is synonymous with "tree"
AÏT Berber, Northern AfricanDerived from Tamazight ⴰⵢⵜ
(aït) meaning "son", also commonly used a component for compound names and surnames.
AKYEAMPONG AfricanAkan name from Ghana. It means the one who gives birth to princes. Mostly spelt Acheampong mainly to make life easy for Europeans, however that spelling is wrong because there is no "c" in the Akan or Twi alphabet...
[more] ALBAZ Jewish, Northern AfricanAshkenazic Jewish name meaning, "falconer" found mainly amongst Jewish peoples emigrating from Algeria and Morocco.
AMIDANE Northern African, Arabic (Maghrebi)Meaning unknown; used by the native Sahrawi people of the disputed region of Western Sahara. Two known bearers are El Wali Amidane (1986-) and Elkouria Amidane (1985-), both Sahrawi human rights activists.
ARCHIBONG Efik, Ibibioof Efik Origin, originally pronounced asibong but changed by the british to Archibong, meaning Kings Father, Kings Friend, (amasi Obong)
AZI AfizereAzi is actually pronounced Azīh which means "Unending, in ended father of many generations" it is named after children believed to become the origin or source of lasting families.
AZOULAY Judeo-Spanish, Northern AfricanSephardic Jewish surname of disputed meaning; it may be derived from French
azur or Spanish
azul both meaning "blue" (of Persian origin), from Tamazight
izîl meaning "good, pure, sublime", or from an acronym of the Hebrew Biblical passage אִשָּׁ֨ה זֹנָ֤ה וַחֲלָלָה֙ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֔חוּ
(’iš-šāh zō-nāh wa-ḥă-lā-lāh lō yiq-qā-ḥū) meaning "They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane".
BARRY AfricanA Guinean surname meaning the family comes from the Peul, Fulani, or Foulbe ethnic groups of West Africa.
BEKKER Afrikaansbekker is a regional form of Dutch bakker which means Baker
BOLAJI NigerianThis surname is very common in Nigeria. Possibly taken from a word in one of the Nigerian tribes languages.
BOUHOUCHE Berber, Northern AfricanKabyle name possibly derived from Arabic أَبُو
(ʾabū) meaning "father" and حَوْش
(ḥawš) meaning "courtyard, enclosure, farm" (chiefly Algerian).
BOUJETTIF Northern African (Archaic)Meaning, "The family of the son of the Clever Head" or "One Whom Possess a Clever Head."
Bou (normally used in the North African Regions of the Maghrib Countries) has 2 possible derivative meanings both originating from the Arabic language, "Son of..." or an Arabic word
Tho meaning, "One Who Possess A Quality."
Jettif is a variance of
Jettef,
Jeif or
Ji'f which is derived from the ancient Tamazight or Imazighen (popularly known as Berber) and is pronounced "j-ixf" which means Clever, head, or brain."
CHAMAPIWA ShonaChamapiwa means "that which you have been given".
It is a call to appreciate that which you have from God CHENAI ShonaChenai means "Be clean, be hygienic or come out clean"
CILLIËRS AfrikaansBrought to South Africa by settlers of French decent some time in the past 300 years. Sometimes also a given name for boys.
COULIBALY Western African, MandingMeaning uncertain. One popular folk etymology suggests that it is derived from Bambara
kulun-bari meaning "without a canoe", referring to someone who crossed a river or other body of water without the use of a canoe...
[more] DAMBUDZO ShonaDambudzo means "that which causes suffering or trouble". #The Zimbabwean writer, Dambudzo Marechera is a famous bearer of this name".
DIALLO Western AfricanA common name throughout West Africa, it is the French transcription of a surname of Fula origin.
DJOKOTO Africanfrom Togo Lome, Vogan in west Africa from the djokoto family.
DUBE Ndebele, ZuluIt means Zebra. It is usually a surname instead of a person's name used by Zimbabwean Ndebele people and South African Zulu people....
[more] DUT AfricanDut is a surname among the Dinka people in South Sudan.
EJIOFOR Igbo, NigerianA famous bearer of this surname is Chiwetel Ejiofor, a British actor of Nigerian and Igbo descent.
ENGELBRECHT AfrikaansThe name Engelbrecht has multiple translations, including "Angle Glorious" and "Bright Angel".
ETIENAM Nigerian, Ibibio (?), Spanish (Caribbean, ?)This is a name which originates from the Calabar/Akwa Ibom region of southeastern Nigeria. It means "a doer of good, or benevolent". It is also found in Spanish-speaking regions of the Caribbean such as Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Cuba (El Oriente) which have populations of people of Ibibio/Efik decent known as "Carabali".
GADDAFI Arabic (Maghrebi), Northern AfricanFrom the name of an Libyan Berber tribe named
Qadhadhfa, possibly meaning "thrower, archer" from Arabic قَذَفَ
(qaḏafa) meaning "to throw". A famous bearer was
Muammar Gaddafi (1942–2011), a Libyan politician and revolutionary.
GRIGAHCINE Berber (Rare, ?)Meaning unknown, perhaps of Kabyle origin. A known bearer is DJ Snake, who was born
William Grigahcine (1986-), an Algerian-French musician.
IWUCHUKWU Igbo, AfricanIt means God's covenant is unwavering. This name is a bearer is a testimony of God's command. This ia a Christian name.
JEYI ShonaPorcupine. Wamambo. Strong, Courageous, Joyful and loving.
JLASSI Arabic (Maghrebi), BerberFrom the name of an Tamazight (Berber) tribal confederation in Tunisia; the name could be from Arabic إِخْلَاص
(ʾiḵlāṣ) meaning "sincerity, devotion, loyalty" or of unknown Berber meaning.
JOOF SererThe surname Joof (English spelling in Gambia) whit its derivatives Juuf / Juf (Seereer proper) or Diouf (French spelling in Senegal and Mauritania) is a Senegambian surname found amongst the Seereer people of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania...
[more] LOUW AfrikaansLouw is a surname that has pre 7th century Germanic origins. It is a Dutch/Flemish variant on the word Lowe, meaning Lion.
MAHALAH Africanzambian (tumbuka) name meaning intelligent. "mwana wa mahalah" means intelligent child
MAOULOUD Western AfricanDerived from Arabic مولود
(mawlud) meaning "born, newborn", used to refer to the مولد
(Mawlid) observance of the birth of the Islamic Prophet
Muhammad (chiefly Mauritanian).
MAZIGH Arabic (Maghrebi), BerberDerived from Arabic أَمَازِيغ
(ʾamāzīḡ) the Arabic designation for the Berber (Amazigh) people of North Africa. The word itself is ultimately of Tamazight origin, from Central Atlas Tamazight ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ
(Amaziɣ) of disputed meaning; in modern Central Atlas Tamazight, it means “free-man”.
M'BARECK Western AfricanDerived from Arabic مُبَارَك
(mubārak) meaning "blessed, fortunate, lucky" (chiefly Mauritanian).
MBOTO AfricanLast name of a character from Australian soap opera, Home and Away. This is the last name of character Stephanie Mboto, duration 1996-97.
MEGHNAGI Jewish, Northern AfricanSephardic Jewish, originating from the Libyan Jewish community. Most were from Tripoli, with a much smaller contingent from Benghazi.
MESSI African, Arabic, ItalianFamous bearer of this surname is Lionel Messi (born 1987-), an Argentinian footballer of Italian descent.
MKERREF Berber (Modern, Rare)Mkerref originated from the 1950s in Tangier, Morocco. The surname is rare and its holders have riffian (amazigh) roots, known as the Temsamanis originally. ...
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