Akan names
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Akan_names".

The Akan people of Ghana frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. These names have spread through West Africa, from Benin/Dahomey (Fon) and Togo (Ewe) to the Côte d'Ivoire (Baoulé), and throughout the African diaspora. For example, in Jamaica the following day names have been recorded: Monday, Cudjoe; Tuesday, Cubbenah; Wednesday, Quaco; Thursday, Quao; Friday, Cuffee; Saturday, Quamin; Sunday, Quashee. English translations of these names were used in the United States during the nineteenth century; Robinson Crusoe's Friday may be conceptually related.

Most Ghanaians have at least one name from this system. Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was so named for being born on a Saturday (Kwame) and being the ninth born (Nkrumah). Also, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, was so named for being born on a Friday (Kofi).

In the official orthography of the Twi language, the Ashanti versions of these names as spoken in Kumasi are as follows. The diacritics on á a̍ à represent high, mid, and low tone (tone does not need to be marked on every vowel), while the diacritic on a̩ is used for vowel harmony and can be ignored. (Diacritics are frequently dropped in any case.) Variants of the names are used in other languages, or may represent different transliteration schemes. The variants mostly consist of different affixes (in Ashanti, kwa- or ko- for men and a- plus -a or -wa for women). For example, among the Fante, the prefixes are kwe- and e-, respectively. Akan d̩wo is pronounced something like English Joe, but there do appear to be two sets of names for those born on Tuesday.

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Day names

Day born Ashanti Variants
Male name Female name  ? Ndyuka
Monday
([Ɛ]dwóada)		 Kwadwó Adwóà, Adwóa Kodjó, Kojo (pronounced Ko-n-joe), Jojo;
Adjua, Adjoa, Ajwoba		 Kodyo, Adyuba
Tuesday
([Ɛ]bénada)		 Kwabená Ábenaa, Abénaa Komlá, Komlã, Kobby, Ebo, Kobi Kobina;
Araba, Ablá, Ablã, Abena, Abrema		 Kwamina, Abeni
Wednesday
(Wukúada)		 Kwakú Akúà, Akúá, Akuba Koku, Kweku, kaku, Kuuku;
Akú, Ekua		 Kwaku, Akuba
Thursday
(Yáwóada)		 Yàw Yaá Yao, Yaba, Yawo, Ekow, Kow, Kwaw;
Ayawa, Baaba, Yaaba, Aba		 Yaw, Yaba
Friday
([E]fíada)		 Kofí Afúa Koffi, Fiifi, Yoofi;
Afí, Afía, Efia, Efua		 Kofi, Afiba
Saturday
(Méméneda)		 Kwámè, Kwǎmè, Kwamená Ám̀ma, Ámmá Ato, Kwami, Komi;
Ame, Ama, Amba, Ameyo		 Kwami, Amba
Sunday
(Kwasíada)		 Kwasí Akósua Kwesi, Siisi, Akwasi, Kosi;
Akosi, Akosiwa, Así, Esi, Kwasiba.		 Kwasi, Kwasiba

Twin names

There are also special names for elder and younger twins. The second twin to be born is considered the elder as they were mature enough to help their sibling out first.

Twin Male name Female name Variants
Twin Atá Ataá Atta
Younger twin (first born) Atá Pánin Ataá Pánin Payin
Elder twin (second born) Atá Kúmaa Ataá Kúmaa Akwetee (m), Atsú, Kakira
Born after twins Táwia
Born after Tawia Nyankómàgó

Birth-order names

There are also names based on the order born, the order born after twins, and the order born after remarriage.

Order Male name Female name Variants
First born Píèsíe Berko (m), Arko (m), Dede (f), Abaka, Kande (f)?
Second born Mǎnu Máanu
Third born Meńsã́ Mánsã Mensah, Mansah
Fourth born Anan, Anané Annan
Fifth born Núm, Anúm
Sixth born Nsĩã́ Essien
Seventh born Asón Nsṍwaa Esson, Ansong
Eight born Bótwe Awotwe, Awotwie
Ninth born Ákron, Nkróma Nkróma Akun, Ackon, Nkrumah
Tenth born Badú Badúwaa Bedu
Eleventh born Dúkũ
Twelfth born Dúnu
Last born Kaakyire
First with a
new husband

Special delivery

Children are also given names when delivered under special circumstances.

Order Male/Female name Translation
on the field Afúom "on the farm"
on the road Ɔkwán "the road"
in war Bekṍe, Bedíàkṍ "war time"
happy circumstances Afiríyie "good year"
after death of father Antó "it didn't meet him"
after long childlessness Nyamékyε "gift from God"
premature or sickly Nyaméama "what God has given (no man can take away)"
father refuses
responsibility		 Obím̀pέ "nobody wants"
Yεmpέw "we don't want you"
  • One who loves -Adofo
  • Ethnicclarify -Hauhouot(owo)
  • Forceful -Kumi

References

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Personal names in world cultures

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