Yacub Addy, Obo Addy, and Mustapha Tettey Addy are Ga drummers who have achieved international fame. The major languages spoken are Twi, Fante, Ga, Hausa, Dagbani, Ewe and Nzema. Take for example Ghanas first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who was born on a Saturday, while the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Atta Annan, was so named for being born on a Friday. JOE METTLE. These names arent only found in Ghana as some of these tribes spill over to other west African countries. Before a child is born, if the father is Nortey, and she is female, we know that that females name is Shorme. Adedainkpo in Accra is an old Ga community dating back to before the 1800s. Surnames. This is why Akan societies observe Saturday as the Sabbath. Ama comes from the Asere quarters of Ga Mashie. Choosing a baby name with a vintage yet modern touch can never go out of fashion. Notable figures with day names include Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah and former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. Is one who encountered a lot of sorrow, Antobre. Of course thats not all. Kpakpa/ Kwate B Danquah created his myth linking the Akan to the ancient Ghana empire. Attributed to be bearers of chiefs and also kings, Agyenim. The Abora Fantes settled in Ga settlements from Moree, a Fante settlement.[[1]]. Ga- names are used more often as masculine names. Ghanaian names (or personal names in Ghana) consist of several given names and surnames based on the language of ethnic groups in Ghana: including Akan, Mole-Dagombas, Ga, Ewe and Nzema. Although its a very old tradition, the concept was reworked during colonial times to suit the western calendar. These are names given to two set of female twins. Most day names among the Mole-Dagombas are usually given to girls, and few are given to both sexes. This is because the word Friday is a combination of two words in Aka which are Fi (meaning home) and Da (meaning day). But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Pick from beautiful girls' Ghanaian baby names like Ashante and Abena, or choose from boys' Ghanaian baby names like Kwame and Kodzo. This leader is the Moses of the Ga-Dangme people, with his seven puritan laws he gave them and that has formed the basis and philosophy of the state, making the state a friendly state recognised by all in respect to making Greater Accra Region the capital of the, then, Gold Coast in 1877. The names are given in the following order: Hadithi Africa is a contemporary educative platform that promotes and showcases the African narrative. InAshantihomes, Sunday-born males and females are named Kwasi or Kwesi and Akosua respectively (meaning associated with the universe); Monday-born are Kwadwo or Kojo, Adjoa orAdwoa(meaning associated with peace); Tuesday-born are Kwabena or Kobi, Abena (meaning associated with the ocean); Wednesday-born Kwaku or Kweku, Akua (meaning associated with spider/Ananse); Thursday-born Yaw, Yaa ( meaning associated with the earth); Friday-born Kofi, Afia or Afua (meaning associated with fertility); and Saturday-born Kwame, Ama (meaning associated with God). The Ghanaian Tradition of Day Names and Everything You Need to Know About it, Image source - https://www.frazerconsultants.com/2018/11/carpenters-in-ghana-make-customized-caskets/, Enter your email to receive news and updates on the latest African narratives, Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Umemulo, the beautiful Zulu ceremony which signals a girl is ready for marriage, Meet the Hadza people of Tanzania and why they do not worry about shelter or food, Niksat: the Ethiopian tattoo tradition past and present, South Africa safaris for first-timers: 8 things to know before you book, Seven interesting facts you didnt know about Eritrea. Family names. 184.168.121.153 During the 18th and 19th centuries, the enslaved people from modern day Ghana in the Caribbean were referred to as Coromantees. Ancestors are also thought to be much more powerful than the living and able to influence their relatives who are still living (lucky as they are). Parents in Ghana name their children after notable people in the community, historical events, or natural phenomena. Their original homeland is in Goshen city, Egypt. Ghanaians amongst themselves also do that but as a way to joke around or give each other nicknames. Akwele is a Girl name, meaning Creativity, curiosity, charm, friendliness in Ghana origin. The Akan, culturally and linguistically related tribes in West Africa, do the same as other African and Jamaican ethnic groups: Name their children after the respective day they were born. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The Ga people are known for their funeral celebrations and processions. These names are more common to the female child than the male child. . If the content contained herein violates any of your rights, including those of copyright, and/or violates any the above mentioned factors, you are requested to immediately notify us using via the following email address operanews-external(at)opera.com and/or report the article using the available reporting functionality built into our Platform babynamescube.com 2023. It goes on and on and on. You can also learn a few slang words to impress and surprise your fellow Ghanaians. Find the latest, most popular, unique & cute nicknames and names for Baby Boys, Girls, Boyfriends, Girlfriends, Husband, and Wife from a list of 100000+ nicknames and baby names ideas at FinderWheel.com. Boris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofuatey-Kodjoe, Lydia Dedei Yawson Nee Tagoe and Elizabeth Korkoi Tagoe, "Jamestown: the heart of boxing in Ghana", "Special Reports | Path to adulthood in the divided world", Fair trade arts and crafts direct from African artisans, Statement on the Death of NEA National Heritage Fellow Yacub Addy | NEA, "Virgil Abloh Has Designs on High Culture", "Virgil Abloh Is on the 2018 Time 100 List", External Influences on Ga Society and Culture, The Bead Culture among the Krobo of Ghana, Diplomacy and Power Politics in Mid-Nineteenth Century Krobo. Ansan /Akmfm. If your family comes from Ghana, choosing a Ghanaian name is a wonderful choice. Some foreigners are known to have been buried in Ga-styled coffins.[13]. Awusi Pronounced: Ah-woo-see Meaning: Born on a Sunday Best For: Female 3. Each Ga town has a number of different cults and many gods, and there are a number of annual town festivals.[7]. This is due to the Ghanaian day names tradition, one of the many ceremonies and customs that take place in Ghana. Top & Most Popular Names & Nicknames. A postgraduate in Human Resources from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, she likes understanding An angel sent from heaven to spread peace and love, Old Welsh - White; Fair; Blessed; Holy; Smooth; Soft; A variant spelling is Jenifer, Hebrew - God Beholds; Foresight; God's Gift; God's Grace; A variant form is Jessi. All rights reserved. 8. The Ga-Adangbe or Ga Adangme people are usually grouped as part of the Ga-Dangme ethnolinguistic groups of Ghana, Benin, and Togo. Names like Ayi, Ayitey, Okaile and Ayikaile are associated with the family name Ankrah. ): When walking through the street you may be called out by a local with any of the day names (Akosua and Adwoa being the most popular ones). The language is very rich in proverbs, the use of which is taken to be a sign of wisdom. The 27-year-old, who calls himself Kweiku, is . It is mainly a food festival which celebrates the passing of that terrible period in the history of the Ga people. Despite the ritual being designated for older teenaged girls, it is not uncommon for young pre-adolescent and even toddler aged girls to take part.[10]. Let harmony flow in your little one's life with these names. This is considered their soul name. It is an expression of the numerous thoughts and the endless conversations I have with the community I have nurtured in my head. Yao (male) Yaa (female) the day on which various life forms (plants, animals, etc ) were created. It is not unusual for a single coffin to cost $600. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. play videoChief Priest of Osu Nadu/ Klottey, Wor-Lumor Nuumo Noi Sekanku Kpenuku II. Various creatures, such as lions, cockerels and crabs represent clan totems. Onyame is often thought to be female and associated with the Moon. Government of Ghana. I hope you have enjoyed and learnt something new.. This is just a form of friendly gesture to say hi to you (as they obviously dont know your name). Abam Used predominantly in the Akan and Ghanaian region, this name means the second child after twins'. These names he explained, must be revered in honour of the first persons who bore them, reason every such name is prefixed with a Nii or a Naa, depending on the gender of the person. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Lists of links to thousands of names from Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Congo, Djibouti, Eastern Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya . Female names can also be influenced by the days of the week, just like male names. Many coffin shapes also evoke proverbs, which are interpreted in different ways by the Ga. Design coffins have been used since around the 1950s, especially in rural Ga groups with traditional beliefs, and have now become an integral part of Ga burial culture. Popular coffinmakers are, for example, Cedi and Eric Adjetey Anang of Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop, Paa Joe, Daniel Mensah and Kudjoe Affutu. These names are also used among Ghanaians living abroad and among Africans living in the diaspora who wish to identify with their ancestral homeland. The Dangme people occupy the coastal area of Ghana from Kpone to Ada, on the Volta River and South Atlantic Ocean along the Gulf of Guinea and inland along the Volta River. One of their traditional music and dance styles (albeit a fairly modern one) is kpanlogo, a modernized traditional dance and music form developed around 1960. With a smothering of salad cream on top of course. Some of these names indicate Onyame's most worthy attributes, such as Amosu (Giver of Rain), Amowia (Giver of the Sun), and Amaomee (Giver of Plenitude). Many Ghanaian names are from African origin and Akan names, and other from other ethnic groups. This is one of the trending fabrics in Ghana and worldwide and can be found sewn into a dress, shirt, shorts, etc. Baby Name Generator. A God given child who is very great. The Gas are referred to as people coming from the Greater Accra region in Ghana. Dangme is exclusively closer to the original GaDangme languages than the Ga language.[6]. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Search 31 million family names. Mensah is the most common Ghanian surname with one in 55 people having the name. 35. If the content contained herein violates any of your rights, including those of copyright, and/or violates any the above mentioned factors, you are requested to immediately notify us using via the following email address operanews-external(at)opera.com and/or report the article using the available reporting functionality built into our Platform. Morowa Pronounced: Mo-ro-wah Meaning: Queen Best For: Female 4. Examples are: Sumina (incinerator), Odonko (marked face). [12] For example, a taxicab driver is most likely to be buried in a coffin shaped as a car. The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Now every first born child has it own name, so as the second child , third child , forth child and it goes on and on. They commemorate the creation of the sun, the moon and the stars. The area is centered at approximately 2 W. longitude and 5 N. latitude. Opera News does not consent to nor does it condone the posting of any content that violates the rights (including the copyrights) of any third party, nor content that may malign, inter alia, any religion, ethnic group, organization, gender, company, or individual. It is a prevalent name in all tribes in Ghana. As their name; there are the Ga people and the Adangbe people. Usually handmade, the slippers are quite heavy since it is . The Ga ethnic group is divided into settlements which are further divided into quarters which Ga people call akutso (singular) and akutsei (plural) [[2]]. Frequently, children are given a "day name" which corresponds to the day in the week when they were born. Ghana has been inhabited for at least several thousand years, however, little is known about its early inhabitants. The Ga-Dangbe music includes drumming and dancing. 34. 6. Thats why we have Nii and Naa., he expounded. AKWELEY AND AKUOKOR. This was an early and innovative form of capitalism where an elaborate system of property ownership was established and subsequently shared. Examples of Ghanaian day names (mainly in the southern part), Examples of Ghanaian day names (mainly in the northern part), Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ghanaian_name&oldid=1149118337, Articles lacking in-text citations from September 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Akwasi, Kwasi, Kwesi, Akwesi, Sisi, Kacely, Koshi, Kosi, Kosiwa, Kosiwa, Kwasiwa, Kwasia, Akosua, Akasi, Akos, Esi, Awesi, Awan, Kofi, Cofi, Kojo, Kwadwo, Jojo, Joojo, Kujoe, Kwadzo, Kodzo, Kobla, Kwabena, Ebo, Komla, Kwabla, Kabenla, Kobe, Kobi, Kobby, Kobina, Abla, Abena, Abenayo, Abenkwan, Ablamaa, Araba, Kaku, Kwaku, Abeiku, Kuuku, Kweku, Keku, Koku, Akuba, Akua, Aku, Kukua, Akuma, Akusea, Ekua, Kwame, Kwami, Kwafica, Kwamina/Kwamena, Komi, Ato, This page was last edited on 10 April 2023, at 09:12. Ajoba (Ghanaian origin) means "one who is born on Monday". These are mainly in the Manya Krobo and Yilo Krobo Districts of the Eastern Region. Find the complete details of Akwele name on BabyNamesCube, the most trusted source for baby name meaning, numerology, origins, similar names and more! Boga: A Ghanaian living abroad, this word originated from the word Hamburger after residents of Hamburg, many of who are of Ghanaian origin. 66 Ghana Baby Girl Names With Meanings | Momjunction Home Baby Names 66 Ghana Baby Girl Names With Meanings By shikha thakur, MBA Mar 13, 2023 Illustration: MomJunction Design Team Was this article helpful? Tsu - Reddish Yumu - Dark ua - Tall Wayo - Small So if the first wife had a girl and the second wife had a girl, depending on the characterises of the child you would name them Dede - Tsu and Dede- yumu 2. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Ghana Baby Names & Meaning Names Gender Numerology Audio Save Name Comment Aba Ababuo Abam Abba Abeeku Abeeku Abena Abla Addae Addae Adeben Adika Adika Adjoa Adofo Adom Adowa Adusa Adwoa Afafa Afi Afia Afryea Afua Agyei 6. So whenever you hear a female child called Kaa it means she is the third female child of her parents. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Over the years Ghanaian female artists haven't been accorded the attention and value for their works. They believe that death is not the end and that life continues in the next world in the same way it did on earth. The Ghanaian culture cannot be considered a uniform one. [8], The Ga-Dangme are organized into clans based on patrilineal descent; the clans are subdivided into localized patrilineages, the basic units of the Ga-Dangme historical, political, cultural tribal group. Ahemaa. Sharanda Jones: Her Sad Story, Imprisonment, Release, Where is She Today? To complicate matters, the ancient In 2015, he was nominated at the prestigious Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. They are the Ga Mashie settlement (the oldest settlers); the Teshie settlement (known to be the last settlers); the Osu(Christiansburg), La(Labadi), Tema and Nungua settlements. You'll love these names if you adore the classy, bygone era. Many families spend excessive amounts on coffins because they often feel that they have to pay their last respects to the deceased and being buried in a coffin of cultural, symbolic as well as expensive taste is seen as fitting. Children are considered to be a gift from God in Ghana. Same goes for Akuorkor. After Fofo comes Ashami. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. We wanted to share a few (and maybe you get inspired and name your next child with an Akan name!