African Submitted 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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Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.

Kibo Central African

Kibuuka South African

Kiden African

Killmonger African
The name (last name) of the villain in Black Panther, played by Michael B. Jordan.

Kilonzo Eastern African
Meaning unknown.

Kimachu Eastern African, Swahili

Kimba Luba
Best known as the international given name of a certain Tezuka character.

Kimpembe Central African

Kimutai Eastern African

Kindiki Meru, Eastern African
Kindiki has no known meaning.

Kingibe Kanuri, Nigerian
Meaning unavailable.

Kione African

Kiplangat Eastern African

Kiplimo Eastern African

Kiprono African

Kirwana African

Kissa Eastern African

Kitsusu Kongo
The surname of a notable Congolese musician whose real first name was Philemon.

Kitumaini Central African, Swahili
Means "little hope" in Swahili, a diminutive of tumaini meaning simply "hope". It is mostly found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Koala Western African

Kodjo Ewe
From the given name Kodjo

Koffi Ewe
From the given name Koffi

Kofi Akan
From the given name Kofi

Koko Arabic (Egyptian), Eastern African

Kollie African

Kolver South African

Kombayi African (Rare)

Komboïgo Mossi
Not available.

Koné Western African

Konkwo Igbo
Boy born on Nkwo

Kopo Southern African

Kotton South African

Koty African

Kotze Afrikaans

Koulibali Manding, Western African
variant of Coulibaly.

Kpodo Western African

Kporaro Nigerian (Rare)
The name Kporaro translates into the English language as "PROGRESS" (literally Kpo which is "Go", Ra which is "OF" and Aro which is "FRONT" in which case the Ra implies "For" or "Of" thus Kporaro is literally "Go Of Front" or more properly "Move Forward")... [more]

Kuban Northern African
Unknown Nubian surname.

Kumalo Zulu, Ndebele, South African
Variant of Khumalo.

Kuminga Central African

Kunaya Kongo

Kutuna African

Kuzai Southern African

Kwelagobe Southern African

Kwemoi Eastern African

Kwi Central African

Ky Western African

Kyagumbo Shona
Meaning unknown.

Kyei African
Ghanaian surname that is derived from the Akan language. It means "greatness" or "to become great" in English.

Kyekyeku Akan
Meaning unknown.

Laalaa Northern African

Ladie African

Lady Western African

Lalika African

Later Northern African

Lavvy African

Leanya South African

Lebakeng Sotho

Lebna Ethiopian
Means "spirit, essence" in Amharic.

Ledwaba Southern African, South African, Zulu
From Zulu meaning "rock".

Lekae African

Lekika African (Rare)

Lemara African

Lennet South African

Letesha South African

Letheo Tswana

Levas African

Likay African

Like Southern African

Lil Western African

Lime African

Limo African
Most common in Kenya.

Lo Western African

Lombard French, English, South African
French and English cognate of Lombardi, or derived from the given name Lambert. A famous bearer of this name was the American actress Carole Lombard (1908-1942), born Jane Alice Peters.

Lonah African (Rare)

Lotso Southern African

Louw Afrikaans
Louw is a surname that has pre 7th century Germanic origins. It is a Dutch/Flemish variant on the word Lowe, meaning Lion.

Lubega Eastern African

Luckhoff South African

Lucky Nigerian

Lukaku Central African, Luba

Lupondo South African

Luter South African

Luyimbazi Eastern African
This name is given to males belonging to 'Nkima' (Monkey) clan in Buganda kingdom, Uganda.

Lwando Southern African

Lyambo Eastern African

Lyata African (Rare)

Lynda African

Lynx Southern African, English
Meaning "lynx" in English.

Lynxtrans Western African

Lyuka African

Madhubuti Swahili
A notable bearer is Haki R. Madhubuti, a writer.

Madia South African

Mafanela South African

Magombo Swahili, African, Swazi (Rare)
Meaning unknown, possibly related from the fore name of the same name. It means "leaves" (verb) in Swahili.

Magondu Kikuyu

Mahalah African
zambian (tumbuka) name meaning intelligent. "mwana wa mahalah" means intelligent child

Mahamadou Western African
From the given name Mahamadou.

Mahamat Western African, Thai (Muslim)
From the given name Mahamat.

Mahlangu Southern African, Ndebele, Zulu
Derived from Ndebele hlangula meaning "assist, help, remove (from danger)" or Zulu isihlangu meaning "shield".

Maïga African

Mainu Western African

Majange Shona
Meaning unknown.

Majoly Central African

Makabu Central African, Luba

Makale African

Makalo African

Makaya African

Makélélé Central African, Lingala (Gallicized)
Gallicized form of Makelele. A notable bearer is the French former soccer player Claude Makélélé (1973-).

Makelele Central African, Lingala
Means "noises" in Lingala, possibly a nickname for a noisy person.

Makgantai Tswana

Makgwakae Tswana

Makina African

Makonnen Eastern African, Amharic
Derived from the given name Makonnen.

Makory Eastern African

Malala Malagasy, Central African

Malan Afrikaans

Malgas South African

Malick Indian, Bengali, Pakistani, Western African
From the Arabic ملك (malik) meaning "king, sovereign, monarch" (see Malik 1), used by Indian Hindus and Muslims.

Maliko African

Malindi African

Mama Western African

Mamadou Western African
From the given name Mamadou.

Mambo Southern African
Mambo is a surname of the Kaonde tribe, meaning: danger. A warning to would be detractors.

Mami Northern African

Mandela Xhosa, Jewish, German
“District” in Xhosa... [more]

Mandingo African

Mandisa South African

Mané Western African, Manding
From the name of a Mandinka clan, meaning uncertain.

Manfred Eastern African

Mangawa Southern African

Mangle Indian, African

Manu Western African, Akan
Means "second-born child" in Akan.

Manyasha African (Rare)

Maouloud Western African
Derived 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).

Marais French, Afrikaans

Maré French, Afrikaans

Maree Afrikaans, French, English

Mariam Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Bengali, Somali, Amharic
From the given name Maryam.

Mariera African

Mariko Western African

Marindi South African

Mário Portuguese, Central African

Maro African

Marole South African

Masakadza Southern African, Zimbabwean

Masalela South African

Masamvu Shona

Mashashane Ndebele (Rare), Pedi (Rare)

Mashiani Southern African

Masine African

Masiwa African

Masiye Chewa
Means "orphan" in Chewa language.

Masona African

Masondo Southern African, Zulu
Derived from Zulu amasondo meaning "wheels".

Masseu Central African

Massia African

Matadi Western African

Mathema Ndebele
The Mathema people mostly inhabit the Northern Matebeleland in Zimbabwe, however their clan names are linked and related of those other Nguni clans. These are as follows: ... [more]

Mathema Shona
Meaning unknown.

Mathenge Swahili

Matins Nigerian, Portuguese

Matshu Central African

Matuidi Central African

Mawere Shona
Meaning unknown.

Maxamed Somali
Somali form of Muhammad.

Maygan Eastern African

Mazigh Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber
Derived 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”.

Mba Central African

Mbabazi Eastern African
A Bantu Uganda surname meaning 'grace' or 'kindness'.

Mbah Central African, Nigerian

Mbaia Central African

M'bala Central African
Derived from the given name Mbala. This surname is borne by French comedian, actor and political activist Dieudonné M'bala M'bala (1966-).

Mbangwa Shona
Meaning unknown.

Mbappé Central African (Gallicized)
Borne by French professional footballer Kylian Mbappé (1998-), whose father is from Cameroon.

M'bareck Western African
Derived from Arabic مُبَارَك (mubārak) meaning "blessed, fortunate, lucky" (chiefly Mauritanian).

Mbarek Berber
Moroccan Tachelhit variant of Mubarak.

Mbaruk African

M'beirick Western African
Most likely a variant of M’Bareck.

Mbenguzana Hlubi (?), African
Hlubi word referring to an old cat with grey beard but in this instance it means grey-bearded leopard. Originates from one of the Nkwali tribe's early head?king Lusulengwe(Leopard's face)

Mbilli Central African

Mboto African
Last name of a character from Australian soap opera, Home and Away. This is the last name of character Stephanie Mboto, duration 1996-97.

Mbunga Central African

Mchunu South African

Me Western African

Megan Western African

Meghnagi Jewish, Northern African
Sephardic Jewish, originating from the Libyan Jewish community. Most were from Tripoli, with a much smaller contingent from Benghazi.

Mekonnen Eastern African, Amharic
Variant spelling of Makonnen.

Melaku Ethiopian, Amharic
From the given name Melaku, meaning "the angel" in Amharic. It is possibly related to Arabic/Hebrew Malak and Turkish Melek 2, also meaning "angel".

Melane South African

Meleni South African

Melgiste Ethiopian

Melker Dutch, Swedish (Rare), Afrikaans
Derived from Dutch melker "milker (one who milks)". In some cases, however, it can also be derived from the given name Melchior.

Melodi South African

Mendy Western African, Fula

Mengiste Ethiopian

Mensah Western African, Akan
Means "third-born son" in Akan.

Menya African

Menyah African

Messi African, Arabic, Italian
Famous bearer of this surname is Lionel Messi (born 1987-), an Argentinian footballer of Italian descent.

Messoud Western African
From the given name Mas'ud; used in Mauritania.

Metito Eastern African

Meziane Berber, Northern African
From the given name Meziane (chiefly Algerian and Moroccan).

Meziani Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber
Variant of Meziane.

Migan African

Mikal Ethiopian
The Origin of Mikal comes from the Hebrew meaning... [more]

Mikel English, Nigerian
From the given name Mikel.

Miloh African

Minchie Central African

Mini South African

Mirghani Northern African, Arabic
Sudanese name of unknown Arabic meaning.

Miseroole French, South African

Missi African

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. ... [more]

Mochia Western African

Mode Nigerian

Mogorosi Tswana

Mohamadou Western African
From the given name Mohamadou.

Mohamed Arabic, Dhivehi, Somali (Arabized)
From the given name Muhammad.

Mokoena Southern African, Sotho, Tswana
Derived from Sotho or Tswana kwena meaning "crocodile".

Mokrani Berber, Northern African, Arabic (Maghrebi)
Either from the given name Mokrane or derived from El Mokrani, a town in Algeria.

Molly African

Mombeshora Shona
Meaning unknown.

Monke Western African

Monkey Nigerian

Montsho South African

Mooketsi South African

Moolman Afrikaans

Mopantokobogo Zulu
From Zulu meaning "big man".

Morais Portuguese, Central African

Moshi Eastern African

Moticoe Tswana (Rare)

Motlatso African

Moula Northern African, Arabic (Maghrebi)

Moustapha Western African
From the given name Moustapha.

Moyo Shona
Meaning unknown.

Mpofu Southern African

Mprah African

Mpungu Kongo
Means ‘gorilla’ in Yombe and ‘creator’ in its relative Ntandu.

Msuya Swahili

Muddy Eastern African

Mudzuri Shona
Meaning unknown.

Mufaro Shona
Mufaro means "Joy, happiness". It is a name of rejoicing

Mujiba African

Munaye Ethiopian

Mundi African

Munisi Eastern African
Found in Tanzania.

Munissi Eastern African
Variant of Munisi.

Munkdmbwe Southern African

Musah Western African

Mushohwe Shona
Meaning unknown.

Musumbu Central African

Mutema Southern African

Mutia Eastern African, Maasai
A Kenyan Maasai surname known mostly in the West as the name of a certain fictitious escarpment, which appears infrequently in old Tarzan Films.

Mutombo Kongo

Mutoni Eastern African

Muzorewa Shona
Meaning unknown.

Mvuezolo Central African

Mwalimu African

Mwamba Bemba

Mwaruwari Shona
Meaning unknown.

Mwepu African

Mweushi African
salute to a king or chief spokesman.literally means "your excellency" or "your majesty". and is usually followed by another name and not used alone.

Nadie African

Naidoo South African, Indian (Expatriate)
Variant of Naidu used by South Africans of Indian descent.

Nakaayi Eastern African

Nakathila Southern African, Ovambo

Nala South African

Namkoisse Central African, Eastern African (Rare)
Meaning unknown.

Nanyondo Eastern African

Naomi Melanesian, Nigerian, Swahili