57 Akan (Twi) names with their meaning, gender and the birth circumstance they recall, taken from academic work and dictionaries. Each meaning is the one given by the source: none is guessed.

1

Day-of-birth names

Every child gets a name from the day of the week they were born on, different for a boy and a girl.

DayBoyGirl
MondayKwadwoAdwoa
TuesdayKwabenaAbenaa
WednesdayKwakuAkua
ThursdayYaoYaa
FridayKofiAfua
SaturdayKwameAma
SundayKwasiAkosua
2

Birth order and twins

Piesie unisexfirst born
Manu unisexsecond born
Mɛnsa boythird born (male)
Mansa girlthird born (female)
Anane unisexfourth born
Num unisexfifth born
Nsia unisexsixth born
Nson unisexseventh born
Nwɔtwe unisexeighth born
Nkroma unisexninth born
Badu unisextenth born
Duku unisexeleventh born
Adunu unisextwelfth born
Adusa unisexthirteenth born
Ata boytwin (male)
Ataa girltwin (female)
Tawia unisexchild born right after twins
Nyankomago unisexchild born after Tawia
Atuakɔsɛn unisexchild born after Nyankomago
Abobakorowa unisexchild born after Atuakɔsɛn
Damusaa unisexchild born after Abobakorowa
Afriyie unisex‘has appeared well’ (born in prosperous times)
Abayie unisex‘has come well’
Sika unisexwealth
Antobrɛ unisex‘did not come to experience hardships’
Abɛbrɛsɛ unisex‘hardships’
Adiyia unisex‘has encountered sorrow’
Antobam unisex‘did not come to meet good days’
Anto unisex‘did not come to meet’ (born after the father’s death)
Akyiremu unisex‘has kept too long’ (pregnancy over ten months)
3

Other names and their meanings

Nyamekyɛ unisexGod’s gift
Nyameama unisexGod has given
Sumina unisexgarbage
Dɔnkɔ unisexslave
Kaya unisexcarrier of loads
Adwengo unisexpalm kernel oil
Sereba unisexsilver
Agyegyesɛm unisexharassment, trouble making
Saarabi unisexjust like that
Abirekyie unisexgoat
Sraha unisexIslamic gift
Asaaseasa unisexthe land is finished
Dinkyene unisex‘eat salt’ (stay alive)

Test yourself

1. What does “Kwasi” mean?

2. What does “Piesie” mean?

3. What does “Ata” mean?

4. What does “Anto” mean?

Where do these words come from?
Sources: www.njas.fi. Do you speak this language and spot a mistake? Write to us.