Afeni as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Afeni

What is the meaning of the name Afeni ?

The baby name Afeni is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /əˈfɛni/ (uh-FEH-nee).

Afeni is in Origin.

Afeni is a Yoruba feminine given name from southwestern Nigeria. It’s commonly glossed as “lover of people” or “one who cherishes others,” often analyzed from Yoruba elements for “love/affection” and “person.” In diaspora usage it’s usually pronounced uh-FEE-nee. The name belongs to a family of Yoruba compounds that foreground communal goodwill and affection.

The name gained wide visibility through Afeni Shakur (1947–2016), activist and mother of rapper Tupac Shakur, which encouraged adoption in African American communities from the 1970s onward. Though never common, it is culturally expressive and remains in light use across the Yoruba diaspora. Variants and related forms include Afeeni and Affeni as spellings; short forms such as Feni occur informally. A closely related Yoruba name is Abeni (“we asked for her and behold, she came”), often paired stylistically with Afeni though from a different root.