Browse Submitted Surnames

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the usage is African; and the gender is unisex; and the name appears on the United States popularity list.
usage
gender
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Abdoulaye Western African
From the given name Abdoulaye.
Abdullahi Hausa
From the given name Abdullahi.
Abebe Amharic, Ethiopian
Means "flower" in Amharic.
Abimbola Yoruba
From the given name Abimbola
Abukar Somali
Of Somali origin and means "father of the unique".
Adamou Western African
From the given name Adamou.
Adamu Amharic, Swahili, Hausa
From the given name Adamu (see user-submitted name).
Adebowale Yoruba
From the given name Adebowale
Adedeji Yoruba
Means "one crown has become two" in Yoruba.
Adegboyega Nigerian, Yoruba
From the given name Adegboyega. A famous bearer of the name is British actor and producer John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega (1992-), known professionally as John Boyega, whose parents are of Yoruba descent.
Adegoke Yoruba
From the given name Adegoke
Adelakun Yoruba
From the given name Adelakun
Adeleye Yoruba
From Yoruba meaning "the crown, royal one has dignity, honor" with "crown" understood as a metaphor for "child".
Ademola Yoruba
From the given name Ademola
Adesanya Yoruba
Meaning "first to be born" in Yoruba.
Adesina Yoruba
From the given name Adesina
Adewale Yoruba
From the given name Adewale.
Adisa Yoruba
From the given name Adisa
Adonis South American, Southern African
From the given name Adonis. This surname is particularly common in parts of South Africa, Haiti, and Guyana
Agbaje Nigerian, Yoruba
Meaning unknown. A bearer is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (1967-), an English actor and model of Yoruba Nigerian descent.
Agu Igbo
Agu is an Igbo surname; the word Agu means Tiger in Igobo language.
Agyare Akan
Meaning unknown.
Agyei Akan
Meaning unknown.
Agyeman Akan
Derived from an Akan male personal name denoting a fourteenth-born boy but also interpreted as ‘savior of the nation’.
Ajala Edo
Means "chief of the horses".
Àjàyí Yoruba
From the given names Àjàyí.
Alhassan Arabic, Somali, Urdu
From the given name Al-Hasan.
Aluko Yoruba
From àlùkò ‘woodcock’, said to be a name adopted by Ijesha textile hawkers to deflect the curses of their debtors.
Amadou Western African
From the given name Amadou.
Amani Tigrinya
From the given name Amani (see user-submitted name) meaning "faith" in Tigrinya. It is possibly related to Arabic Iman or Swahili Imani, also meaning "faith".
Amissah Akan
Meaning unknown.
Amoako Akan
West African
Amsterdam Dutch (Expatriate), Afrikaans
From the name of the capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, meaning "dam of the Amstel".
Annan Western African, Akan
Means "fourth-born child" in Akan.
Appiah Akan
Appiah is derived from an Akan male personal name of unexplained etymology.
Archangel Eastern African
From the given name Archangel.
Archibong Efik, Ibibio
of Efik Origin, originally pronounced asibong but changed by the british to Archibong, meaning Kings Father, Kings Friend, (amasi Obong)
Asamoah Western African, Akan
From the given name Asamoah. A famous bearer is the retired Ghanaian soccer player Kwadwo Asamoah (1988-).
Asante Western African, Akan
From the ethnic name of the Ashanti, a sub-ethnic group of the Akan from southern Ghana. The name possibly means "warlike" in the Twi language.
Askia Songhai, Western African
Meaning unknown.
Awuah Akan
Originating from the Akan people of Ghana, Awuah means 'born on a Monday' in the Akan language.
Azubuike Igbo
From the given name Azubuike.
Ba Manding
From the Mandinka word ba(a) meaning "big, great".
Baba Nigerian, Yoruba, Western African
From an honourific title used to denote a father, wise man, or an elder.
Baeta Ewe
Best known as the maiden surname of a certain Annie.
Baffoe Western African, Akan
Ghanaian surname of unknown meaning.
Bah Fula (Anglicized)
A surname of Fulani origin found all over Western Africa. French speaking African countries typically spell this surname as Ba or .
Bangoura Manding
Guinean Susu surname of unknown Meaning.
Baraki Ethiopian, Amharic
From the given name Baraki, meaning "one who blesses" in Amharic. It is possibly related to Arabic Barak 2 and Hebrew Baruch, also meaning "blessed".
Barry African
A Guinean surname meaning the family comes from the Peul, Fulani, or Foulbe ethnic groups of West Africa.
Bekker South African, German (Russified), Dutch
Regional variant of Bakker or Becker, and Russified form of Becker or Bäcker.
Ben Ali Arabic (Maghrebi), Comorian
Maghrebi transcription of Arabic بن علي (bin Ali) meaning "son of Ali 1". A notable bearer was Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1936-2019), who served as the president of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011.
Benhaim Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Variant of Ben Haim used by Jews in North Africa.
Blaauw Dutch, South African
Archaic spelling of Dutch blauw "blue", a nickname referring to the bearer’s eye colour, clothes, or possibly a pale and sickly complexion. It could also be an occupational name for someone who made blue dye, or bluing for laundry.
Bo Manding
Variant of Ba.
Boakye Akan
Meaning unknown.
Boateng Western African, Akan
Means "someone who is humble to God" in Akan. This is among the most common surnames in Ghana. Famous bearers include half-brothers Jérôme (1988-) and Kevin-Prince Boateng (1987-), both of whom are German soccer players.
Boyo Nigerian
Originated from the Itsekiri tribe of the Warri Kingdom and literally translates to "he came with royalty".
Branco Portuguese, Central African
from the the portuguese word Branco meaning "white", referring to someone with light skin and/or hair
Buys Afrikaans (Modern)
South Africa, Pretoria
Ceesay Western African, Manding
Gambian surname of Mandinka origin, which originally indicated a descendant of a marabout, i.e. a West African Muslim teacher and religious leader.... [more]
Chérif Arabic (Maghrebi), Western African
Form of Sharif used in North Africa and parts of French-influenced western Africa.
Chukwu Igbo
From the given name Chukwu.
Cissé Western African, Manding (Gallicized)
Variant of Ceesay used in parts of French-influenced western Africa.
Coulibaly Western African, Manding
Francization of Bambara kulu bari meaning "without a canoe", referring to someone who crossed a river or another body of water without the use of a canoe.
Danesi Edo
THERE ARE TWO SETS OF DANESI. ONE IN ITALY AND THE OTHER IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA. DANESI ITALIAN MEANS «MAN FROM DENMARK» AFRICAN DANESI MEANS «PRAISE BE TO THE CREATOR»
Dauda Hausa
From the given name Dauda.
Dawit Ge'ez, Amharic
From the given name Dawit.
De Beer Dutch, Afrikaans, South African
Means "the bear" or "the boar" in Dutch and Afrikaans, a nickname for a person who resembled the animal in some way, such as being very large, strong, or aggressive, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting one... [more]
De Bruyn Afrikaans
"Bruyn" is an archaic spelling of "bruin", meaning "brown"
De Jager Dutch, South African
Means "the hunter" in Dutch, an occupational name. In some cases, it could derive from the name of a house or ship.
Diabate Western African
From the name of the Diabaté clan of the Mandinka and the closely related Soninke peoples, usually interpreted as “the irresistible.”
Dial Western African
From the name of the Dial clan of the Fulani people of unexplained etymology. The younger form of the clan name is Diallo.
Diallo Western African, Fula
Derived from the Fula clan name Jallo of uncertain meaning. Diallo is a common name throughout West Africa.
Diawara Western African
From the name of the Diawara clan and ethnic subgroup of the Soninke people which is apparently derived from the name of the town of Dia in Mali or from the name of the medieval Dia Dynasty of Gao, also in Mali.
Diop Western African, Wolof
From Joob, the name of a Wolof clan, derived from a totemic word meaning "black craned swan" or "peacock".
Diouf Serer, Western African
From the Serer clan name Joof or Juuf of uncertain meaning.
Dolf African
DOLF FAMILY OF CAPE TOWN
Doucouré Western African, Soninke
Meaning uncertain.
Dualeh Somali
Meaning unknown.
Dube Ndebele, Zulu
It means Zebra. It is usually a surname instead of a person's name used by Zimbabwean Ndebele people and South African Zulu people.... [more]
Dumbuya Manding (Anglicized)
Sierra Leonean Susu surname of unknown meaning.
Du Plessis Afrikaans, French Creole, French (Cajun), French (Huguenot)
French topographic name for someone who lived by a quickset fence, Old French pleis (from Latin plexum past participle of plectere ‘plait’, ‘weave’), with fused preposition and definite article du ‘from the’... [more]
Dut African
Dut is a surname among the Dinka people in South Sudan.
Dwamena Akan
Meaning unknown.
Ejiofor Western African, Igbo
Means "one who acts in good faith" in Igbo. A famous bearer is British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (1977-).
Elhassan Northern African, Arabic
From Arabic حَسُنَ (ḥasuna) meaning "to be good, to be beautiful" (chiefly Sudanese).
Emanuel English, German, Welsh, Jewish, African
From the given name Emanuel.
Engelbrecht Afrikaans
The name Engelbrecht has multiple translations, including "Angle Glorious" and "Bright Angel".
Erasmus Dutch, South African
From the given name Erasmus, meaning "beloved, desired".
Essien Western African, Akan, Ibibio, Efik
Means "sixth born child" in Akan, possibly deriving from the given name Nsia. As a Nigerian name it is derived from a given name (found among the Ibibio and Efik people) denoting the son the family lineage depends on, possibly meaning either "a child who belongs to everyone" or "the child who takes charge of outside matters"... [more]
Fahnbulleh Western African
Means "bold and strong" in Liberian.
Fall Western African, Fula, Wolof, Manding
Meaning uncertain.
Fang Central African
Named after a Bantu group in Central Africa.
Faye Western African, Serer
Meaning uncertain.
Fourie Afrikaans
Originates from French Huguenot settlers
Gaya African
African spelling, surname form, and variant spelling of Gaia. It is the 18,784th most frequently used surname in the world. It is borne by approximately 1 in 246,879 people... [more]
Gebremariam Ge'ez
Means "servant of Mary", from the combination of Gebre and Mariam, the Ge'ez form of Mary.
Gebremichael Ge'ez
Means "servant of Michael", from the combination of Gebre and Michael.
Getachew Ethiopian, Amharic
From the given name Getachew.
Goud Dutch, Afrikaans
Means "gold" in Dutch, an occupational name for a goldsmith, or possibly a nickname for a person with blonde hair. It could also be a variant form of Gott.
Guanche Spanish (Canarian), Berber, Guanche
Derived from the name of the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands before the Spanish conquest. The Guanche people were a Berber-speaking people who arrived in the Canary Islands in the 5th century AD... [more]
Guèye Western African, Wolof
Variant of Gueye influenced by French orthography.
Gueye Western African, Wolof
From a clan name of uncertain meaning.
Gyasi Akan
Meaning unknown.
Haile Ethiopian
Meaning "power" or "might".
Hakizimana Central African
Means "God cures" in Burundian and Rwandan.
Harun Arabic, Somali, Urdu, Bengali
From the given name Harun.
Haruna Hausa, Fula
From the given name Haruna 2.
Hassane Western African
From the given name Hassane.
Hassani Persian, Arabic, Swahili
From the given name Hassan.
Hawa Arabic, Somali, Urdu, Bengali
From the given name Hawa.
Human English, South African, Dutch
Means "Hugh’s man", an occupational name for a servant of a man named Hugh. Alternatively, from the given name Hugheman.
Husaini Persian, Afghan, Urdu, Arabic, Bengali, Hausa
From the given name Husayn.
Idriss Western African
From the given name Idriss.
Igwe Igbo
Means "sky".
Ilunga Luba, Central African
Means ‘To Unite’.
Irakoze Central African
Means "thank god" in Burundian and Rwandan.
Iwuchukwu Igbo, African
It means God's covenant is unwavering. This name is a bearer is a testimony of God's command. This ia a Christian name.
Jalloh Western African
Probably a derivative of Arabic Jalil.
Jalloh Western African, Fula
Variant of Diallo primarily used in Sierra Leone.
Jallow Western African, Fula
Variant of Diallo primarily used in Gambia.
Jericho African
Directly taken from the place name Jericho.
Joof Serer
The 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]
Juma Swahili, Arabic
From the given name Juma.
Kaba Western African, Manding
From a Mandinka clan name perhaps derived from the name of a village in southern Mali.
Kamara Western African
Used in Sierra Leone.
Kasongo Central African
A Congolese surname derived from the town with the same name, located in the Maniema Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kat Dutch, Frisian, South African, Jewish
Means "cat", a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a cat, or a nickname for someone who somehow resembled a cat, perhaps in agility or an independent nature.
Khalif Somali
Somali form of Khalifa.
Kodjo Ewe
From the given name Kodjo
Koffi Ewe
From the given name Koffi
Kofi Akan
From the given name Kofi
Kuban Northern African, Nubian
Unknown Nubian surname.