Akan Boy Names
Akan male names come primarily from the Akan languages of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, especially Twi and Fante. A distinctive male feature is the day-name system, with masculine forms such as Kofi (Friday), Kojo/Kodjo (Monday), Kwesi/Kwasi (Sunday), and related variants marked by Kwa-/Kwo- prefixes. Many boys’ names end in a vowel, commonly -o or -i, and show dialectal or orthographic variation (Kofi/Koffi, Kojo/Kodjo, Kwesi/Kwasi).
Modern usage often combines an English or Christian first name with an Akan male day-name as a middle name. Surnames also appear as given names for boys. Examples include Kofi, Kojo, Kwesi, Akwasi, Kodjo, Koffi, Agyemang, Asare, Gyasi, and Atta.
Showing 50
of 111 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kwame | Male born on Saturday (Saturday-born) | Akan | Boy | 408 #1 | |
| Kofi | Born on Friday | Akan | Boy | 345 #2 | |
| Kwabena | Tuesday-born | Akan | Boy | 123 #3 | |
| Kwesi | Born on Sunday | Akan | Boy | 80 #4 | |
| Kwaku | Born on Wednesday | Akan | Boy | 79 #5 | |
| Kwasi | Born on Sunday (Sunday-born male) | Akan | Boy | 79 #6 | |
| Yaw | Born on Thursday | Akan | Boy | 78 #7 | |
| Yao | Born Thursday; precious jade | Akan, Baoulé, Chinese, Ewe | Boy | 60 #8 | |
| Kojo | Male born on Monday (Akan day name) | Akan | Boy | 53 #9 | |
| Gyasi | Often rendered as 'wonder' or 'wonderful child' (a name expressing amazement/esteem) | Akan, Twi | Boy | 36 #10 | |
| Osei | King; noble; royal (often rendered as 'one who is crowned' or 'noble ruler') | Akan | Boy | 29 #11 | |
| Koffi | Born on Friday (male) | Akan | Boy | 16 #12 | |
| Akwasi | Born on a Sunday (Sunday-born male) | Akan | Boy | 5 #13 | |
| Abrafo | Executioner; royal enforcer or guardian - one who carries out duties | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Addo | Akan family name and given name; specific etymology/meaning varies by source and is not well documented. | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Adjatay | Likely a Ga/Akan personal or family name; may be related to the Ga surname Adjatey or, in some regions, to the Arabic-derived title for a pilgrim (Adja/Hajja). Exact meaning is uncertain or region-dependent. | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Adu | Akan family name and given name; specific literal meaning varies by family/tradition and is often used as a personal or clan name | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Agye | Likely 'received' or 'accepted' - 'one who is welcomed/received' (probable) | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Agyemang | Conqueror; victorious one - 'one who wins or takes the land' | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Aku | Finnish: diminutive of Aukusti/August ('majestic, venerable'); Akan: variant of Akua meaning 'born on Wednesday'. | Akan, Finnish | Boy | — | |
| Akwesi | Male born on a Sunday | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Amakye | A traditional Akan masculine name; literal meaning varies by source and is often tied to family or clan identity. | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Amo | Varied - Latin root means "I love"; in Akan it is a traditional personal name/surname; also appears as a short form of names like Amos or Amadeo. | Akan, Latin | Boy | — | |
| Amoak | Derived from the Akan surname Amoako/Amoah; exact literal meaning varies by family/tradition and is not widely documented. | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Anane | Meaning varies by culture; in some West African (Akan) contexts it is a local personal name, while a Hebrew-related root 'Anan' means 'cloud' or 'vapor'. The specific Akan meaning for 'Anane' is not universally documented. | Akan, Aramaic, Hebrew | Boy | — | |
| Annor | Meaning not well-attested; likely a family or clan name of Akan origin | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Apiah | Likely 'prince', 'king', or 'noble' (derived from Akan Appiah) | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Asafa | Possibly 'collector, gatherer' (from Hebrew Asaf) or related to Akan 'Asafo' meaning 'warrior company/assembly'; used as a male given name. | Akan, Arabic, Hebrew | Boy | — | |
| Asare | Warrior; brave or valiant one | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Ato | Born on Saturday | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Atta | Gift (Arabic); twin (Akan); self/soul (Pali/Sanskrit) | Akan, Arabic, Sanskrit | Boy | — | |
| Azumah | Not well-documented; likely of Akan/Twi origin - specific meaning unclear | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Boadi | Akan family/given name; traditionally a surname or clan name. Exact literal meaning varies by family and is not universally fixed. | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Coffie | Born on a Friday | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Cofi | Born on Friday (Akan); 'person from Caernarfon' (Welsh demonym) | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Cofie | Born on Friday (Akan day name for males) | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Donkor | Historically denotes a servant or someone of servile/enslaved ancestry | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Ebo | Male born on Tuesday (Akan day name) | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Ekow | Male born on Wednesday | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Gyacobbah | Supplanter; one who grasps the heel | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Gyamfi | Brave warrior; one who fights and wins; conqueror | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Jaman | Unclear - possibly 'beauty' if derived from Arabic Jamal; alternatively a place-based name from the Jaman region in Ghana. | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Kodjo | Born on Monday | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Kojey | Born on Monday | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Kojoh | Born on Monday | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Kwaasi | Born on Sunday | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Kwabina | Akan day name for a male born on Tuesday | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Kwade | Likely a variant of the Akan day name Kwadwo, meaning "born on a Monday". | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Kwaesi | Born on Sunday (male) | Akan | Boy | — | |
| Kwako | Male born on Wednesday | Akan | Boy | — |
Akan Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Akan-origin name in our dataset.
111
Names in this origin
7
With data in 2024
119
Births 2024
304
Peak year 0