Eastern African Submitted Surnames

Eastern African names include those from Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. See also about African names.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Abebe Amharic, Ethiopian
Means "flower" in Amharic.
Abukar Somali
Of Somali origin and means "father of the unique".
Adamu Amharic, Swahili, Hausa
From the given name Adamu (see user-submitted name).
Aguer Dinka
the 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"
Ahamada Comorian
From the given name Ahamada.
Ahishakiye Rwandan
AHISHAKIYE is a both male (most) and female name which means "Whenever God want" and is originally from Rwanda. It is a familiar name in the East African countries speaking Kinyarwanda and Kirundi such as Rwanda, Uganda, RDC, Burundi and Tanzania... [more]
Ahmedin Amharic
From the given name Ahmedin.
Akello Eastern African
A Lou surname that originates from the name of a male ancestor, Okello or Akello. The ancestor was so named as he was a child born after the birth of twins. Lou personal names were given based on a circumstance of birth.
Akiiki Tooro, Nyoro, Alur, Acholi
The pet name of Elizabeth of Toro.
Alhassan Arabic, Somali, Urdu
From the given name Al-Hasan.
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".
Archangel Eastern African
From the given name Archangel.
Arjwana Eastern African
Eastern African
Axmed Somali
Somali form of Ahmed.
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".
Beerale Somali
The surname "Beerale" in Somali means "farmer" or "agriculturist." It refers to someone involved in farming or agricultural activities.
Beernabad Somali
Beer" means farm, and "Nabad" means peace.
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.
Buuro Somali
Buuro in Somali means "hills" or "mountains".
Chepchumba Kalenjin
Matronymic surname meaning "daughter of Chumba".
Dawit Ge'ez, Amharic
From the given name Dawit.
Deressa Eastern African, Amharic
From the given name Deressa.
Deresse Amharic, Ethiopian
From the given name Deresse or Deressa.
Dhulgale Somali
Dhulgale – "Land Holder" (referring to someone who owns or works a large piece of land)
Doonle Somali
The surname "Doonle" can be interpreted as "the one who seeks" or "the seeker." This reflects a meaningful characteristic of pursuit and exploration. The name is derived from the Somali word "doon," which means "to seek" or "to want." Additionally, "doon" also translates to "boat," symbolizing the journey and exploration of new horizons.
Dualeh Somali
Meaning unknown.
Duqbeer Somali
Duqbeer would translate to "old farm" in Somali.
Ganacsade Somali
Meaning "businessperson" or "entrepreneur." It is often used to refer to someone involved in trade or commerce.
Getachew Ethiopian, Amharic
From the given name Getachew.
Guddi Somali
Woodworker
Haile Ethiopian
Meaning "power" or "might".
Harun Arabic, Somali, Urdu, Bengali
From the given name Harun.
Hassani Persian, Arabic, Swahili
From the given name Hassan.
Hawa Arabic, Somali, Urdu, Bengali
From the given name Hawa.
Hirpa Ethiopian
In the Oromo language, "Hirpa" is mostly interpreted to mean "blessed," "fortunate," or "gifted", though translations can vary based on dialect, regional usage, and context. A bearer of the surname is Bedatu Hirpa, a notable Ethiopian long-distance runner who won the women's race at the 2025 Paris Marathon.
Juma Swahili, Arabic
From the given name Juma.
Kahinu Eastern African, Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigrinya, Swahili, Somali, Malagasy
Means "clergyman" in several Eastern African languages, originally denoting someone who was a clergyman (see the given name Kahinu).
Kansiime Kiga
The surname of a certain Anne.
Kereu Eastern African
A surname closely associated with the Kisii (or Abagusii) ethnic group, who primarily live in Kisii County in the western part of Kenya. Kisii clans have unique surnames or roots linked to ancestral lines.
Khalif Somali
Somali form of Khalifa.
Kihoro Kikuyu
Of uncertain Meaning.
Kilonzo Eastern African
Meaning unknown.
Kindiki Meru, Eastern African
Kindiki has no known meaning.
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.
Kubwa Swahili
From Swahili meaning "large".
Lebna Ethiopian
Means "spirit, essence" in Amharic.
Ledama Maasai
Of uncertain meaning.
Luyimbazi Eastern African
This name is given to males belonging to 'Nkima' (Monkey) clan in Buganda kingdom, Uganda.
Madhubuti Swahili
A notable bearer is Haki R. Madhubuti, a writer.
Magombo Swahili, African, Swazi (Rare)
Meaning unknown, possibly related from the fore name of the same name. It means "leaves" (verb) in Swahili.
Makenga m Rwandan (Rare)
From kinyuwanda meaning “my problem”.
Makonnen Eastern African, Amharic
Derived from the given name Makonnen.
Maxamed Somali
Somali form of Muhammad.
Mbabazi Eastern African
A Bantu Uganda surname meaning 'grace' or 'kindness'.
Mbaya Swahili
From Swahili meaning "ugly".
Mbili African, Swahili, Zulu
From Swahili and Zulu meaning "two" or "second". It is possible that an ancestor of an individual with this surname was the second child of their parents.
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".
Mesfun Amharic
Mesfun translates to “prince” or “duke.” Historically, it was a prestigious title given to members of the imperial family or high-ranking nobility in the Ethiopian Empire. During the Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes),~ 1750 to 1850, people bearing the title "Mesfin" held substantial political and economic power, often governing regions with significant autonomy.
Mikal Ethiopian
The Origin of Mikal comes from the Hebrew meaning... [more]
Mirbuur Somali
"Seed Bearer" (a person who plants or cultivates the land for crops)
Mlima Swahili
From Swahili meaning "mountain".
Mrefu Swahili
From Swahili meaning "tall, long".
Muli Eastern African
Muli is chiefly found among the Kamba ethnic group in Kenya which is largely located in the Eastern Province. The Kamba people are part of the larger Bantu-speaking group. It derives from the given name and when used as a surname is patronymic... [more]
Munisi Eastern African
Found in Tanzania.
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.
Muziki Swahili
From Swahili meaning "music". Possibly an occupational name for a musician.
Nakabugo Eastern African
A rare surname primarily found in Uganda derived from Nakabugo, with a documented origin in the Nkima clan of the Buganda kingdom. The name is derived from one of the daughters of the clan head, Mugema.
Nakibogo f Eastern African
From the prefix "Na-" which is commonly used in female names and can denote "mother of" or relate to femininity and the root "kibogo" which is a dialectal form of "kibuga," which in Luganda means "city" or "capital."
Ndayishimiye Rundi, Rwandan
Means "I rejoice in the lord, god has made me happy, I am grateful to god" from nda- a prefix meaning "I", yi an infix often used for verb conjugation in Bantu languages, and -shimiye meaning "to rejoice, to thank".
Nga Ethiopian, Japanese
Ethiopian: from the personal name Nega, which is interpreted as "it became morning" in the Amharic language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.... [more]
Nkurunziza Eastern African
Burundian surname meaning "good news". It is also the most common surname in the country.
Noor Arabic, Urdu, Somali, Bengali, Persian
Variant transcription of Nur.
Nshimiyimana Eastern African
A common Kinyarwanda surname, the official language of Rwanda. Nshimiyimana breaks down into parts in Kinyarwanda: Nshimi — derived from the verb “gushima”, which means “to thank” or “to praise.”, yi — a possessive connector roughly meaning “of” or “who has.”, and mana — which means “God.”.
Nuur Arabic, Somali
From the given name Nuur.
Nyasi Swahili
From Swahili meaning "grass, grassland".
Nyong’o Luo
Best known as the surname of a certain Lupita.
Odhiambo Eastern African, Luo
East African surname derived from the given name Odhiambo meaning “born in the evening”.
Okumu Eastern African
In the Luo language, Okumu (for males) and Akumu (for females) are traditionally given to children conceived under unusual circumstances. Specifically, these names are associated with "mysterious births," such as conception occurring shortly after a previous birth but before the mother's menstrual cycle has resumed... [more]
Osas Somali
Variant of Ossas
Ramogi Luo
Meaning unknown.
Sahra Arabic, Persian, Somali, Turkish (Rare)
Derived from Arabic meaning "desert".
Said Arabic, Somali, Urdu
From the given name Sa'id.
Sayyid Swahili, Muslim
From the Arabic honourific title سَيِّد (sayyid) which means "master, lord, prince, mister".
Selassie Ethiopian, Amharic, Western African
Possibly means "trinity" in Amharic. A notable bearer was Haile Selassie (1892-1975), the regent and emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974.
Siangla Luo, Eastern African
Meaning unavailable.
Slaa Eastern African, Iraqw
Slaa has an unknown meaning.
Suruma Kiga
Suruma is a Kiga surname. Ezra Suruma is a notable person with that surname.
Tasifa Amharic
Means “hope” in Amharic.
Temu Swahili
Derived from Swahili timu meaning "team".
Tesfamariam Ethiopian
Meaning "Mary hope", from 'tesifa' (hope), and 'mariyami' (Mary).
Tesfaye Amharic, Ethiopian
From the given name Tesfaye.
Teshome Eastern African, Amharic
From the given name Teshome.
Tukamushaba Eastern African
Derived from Runyankore-Rukiga languages, spoken primarily by the Banyankole and Bakiga ethnic groups in southwestern Uganda. From the elements Tuka-: a first-person plural imperative prefix meaning "let us" or "we should.", -mu-: a personal pronoun meaning "him" or "him/her.", and -shaba: derived from the verb "okushaba" meaning "to thank" or "to praise." The overall meaning being "Let us thank him" or "We should thank him.".
Tukashabe Eastern African
In Luganda, "Tuka" means "to stay" or "to reside," and "shabe" could be a variation of "shabe", meaning "to be happy" or "to rejoice."
Tumas Arabic, Somali, Urdu
From the given name Tumas.
Ugas Somali
From the given name Ugas.
Urio Chaga, Eastern African
Of unknown meaning.
Uwimana Rwandan, Eastern African
Means "belongs to God"
Yacob Amharic
From the given name Yacob.
Yahaya Western African, Comorian
From the given name Yahaya.
Yako African, Swahili, Xhosa
Derived from bantu yakho meaning "yours" or "yours alone" in Xhosa. It is implying a sense of possession or ownership. This surname may have an association with someone or something that belongs to them exclusively.
Yudas Indonesian, Swahili
From the given name Yudas.
Zambi African, Lunda, Swahili, Kimbundu
Means "God" in various Bantu languages.