Akan names

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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.

Contents

[edit] Day names

Day born Ashanti Variants Root Assoc.[1]
Male name Female name  ? Ndyuka
Monday
([Ɛ]dwóada)		 Kwadwó Adjoa Kodjó, Kojo, Jojo;
Adjua, Ajwoba		 Kodyo, Adyuba Dwo Peace
Tuesday
([Ɛ]bénada)		 Kwabená Abenaa, Abénaa Komlá, Komlã, Komlan, Kobby, Ebo, Kobi Kobina;
Araba, Ablá, Ablã, Abena, Abrema		 Kwamina, Abeni Bene Ocean
Wednesday
(Wukúada)		 Kwakú Akua, Akúá, Akuba Koku, Kokou, Kweku, kaku, Kuuku;
Akú, Ekua		 Kwaku, Akuba Wukuo Spider
Thursday
(Yáwóada)		 Yaw Yaa Yao, Yaba, Yawo, Ekow, Kow, Kwaw;
Ayawa, Baaba, Yaaba, Aba		 Yaw, Yaba Ya Earth
Friday
([E]fíada)		 Kofí Afia Koffi, Fiifi, Yoofi;
Afí, Afua, Efia, Efua		 Kofi, Afiba Afi Fertility
Saturday
(Méméneda)		 Kwámè, Kwǎmè, Ám̀ma, Ámmá Ato, Kwami, Kuwame, Komi;
Ame, Ama, Amba, Ameyo		 Kwami, Amba Mene God
Sunday
(Kwasíada)		 Akwasí Akosua Kwesi, Siisi, Akwasi, Kosi;
Akosi, Akosiwa, Así, Esi, Kwasiba.		 Kwasi, Kwasiba Asi Universe

[edit] 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)[2] Atá Pánin Ataá Pánin Payin
Elder twin (second born) Atá Kúmaa Ataá Kúmaa Akwetee (m), Atsú, Kakira
Born after twins Táwia
Born after Tawia Gaddo Nyankómàgó

[edit] 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

[edit] Special delivery

Children are also given names when delivered under special circumstances.

Circumstance 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"

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bartle, Philip F.W. (January 1978). "Forty Days; The AkanCalendar". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute.. (Edinburgh University Press) 48 (1): 80-84. http://www.scn.org/rdi/kw-40.htm. 
  2. ^ For the Akan, the first-born twin is considered the younger, as the elder stays behind to help the younger out.

[edit] Additional References

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Personal names in world cultures
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