The baby name Mapenzi is a Unisex name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced mah-PEN-zee (IPA: /maˈpɛnzi/).
Mapenzi is Swahili in Origin.
The baby name Mapenzi is a Unisex name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced mah-PEN-zee (IPA: /maˈpɛnzi/).
Mapenzi is Swahili in Origin.
Mapenzi is a Swahili given name drawn from the Bantu root -penda, “to love.” In everyday Swahili, mapenzi denotes love, affection, romance, or deep fondness, and as a name it carries the sense of “love” or “beloved.” It is used for all genders, though it skews feminine in many coastal communities. The term functions as an abstract noun in Swahili yet has been embraced as a personal name to express parental devotion or to invoke a life marked by warmth and harmony.
Use is centered in East Africa - especially Tanzania and Kenya, including Zanzibar and the Swahili coast - and appears in the wider African diaspora. Adoption rose in the 20th century alongside Swahili cultural visibility. Close variants and cognates include Penzi, Pendo (with plural Mapendo), Upendo, and Mpenzi (“lover”), all related to the same -penda root and echoed in neighboring Bantu languages.
Mapenzi is a rare name. There are only 35 recorded uses of it in our data, from 8 countries.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Girls | 0 | #237 | 1 | 7,146 |
| NA | Boys | 0 | #251 | 3 | 6,830 |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #422 | 3 | 15,987 |
| SD | Boys | 0 | #466 | 1 | 10,523 |
| ZA | 0 | #474 | 1 | 14,421 | |
| RU | Boys | 0 | #526 | 1 | 12,621 |
| BH | 0 | #587 | 1 | 17,937 | |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #743 | 1 | 18,093 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #923 | 13 | 25,931 |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,233 | 4 | 25,928 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,267 | 6 | 25,619 |
Mapenzi is popular in 8 countries — most recent births per country:
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