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.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AguerDinka 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"
AhishakiyeRwandan 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]
AkelloEastern 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.
AmaniTigrinya 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".
BarakiEthiopian, 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".
Ben AliArabic (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.
DoonleSomali 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.
HirpaEthiopian 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.
KereuEastern 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.
KitumainiCentral 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.
MbiliAfrican, 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.
MelakuEthiopian, 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".
MesfunAmharic 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.
MuliEastern 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]
MutiaEastern 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.
NakabugoEastern 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.
NakibogofEastern 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."
NdayishimiyeRundi, 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".
NgaEthiopian, 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]
NshimiyimanaEastern 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.”.
OkumuEastern 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]
SelassieEthiopian, 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.
TukamushabaEastern 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.".
TukashabeEastern 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."
YakoAfrican, 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.