Hausa is a major cultural group located in Northern Nigeria, and they are mostly Muslims. This is a list of Hausa names and their meanings.
The Hausa ethnic is the largest ethnic group in Africa. Hausa is the second largest language after Arabic in the Afroasiatic family of languages.
The Hausa-speaking communities are scattered throughout West Africa. The Hausa people are over 70 million, with populations in Nigeria, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Togo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Gana, Senegal, the Gambia, and Gabon.
In Nigeria, most people regard the Northern part as predominantly Hausa, but this is not so, as we have some minor tribe and religion in that part of the country that are not Hausas.
In this article, we list some Hausa names and their meaning:
Adamu – Adam
Ali – excellent or noble
Aminu – reliable and trustworthy person.
Amir – A ruler, prince or commander
Aisha – to live in prosperity.
Amina – safe protected and secure.
Asmau – loftier or eminent personality
Atikah – of a pure heart
Asabe – child born on Saturday.
Balaraba – female child born on Wednesday
Balarabe – male child born on Wednesday
Bashir – someone who brings good news.
Bilal – a companion of the prophet.
Danasabe – child born on Saturday
Danjuma – male child born on Friday
Danladi – male child born on Sunday
Danlami – male child born on Thursday
Faidah – advantage
Faiqah – someone who surpasses excellence
Fatimah – daughter of the prophet
Faizu – victorious
Faruq – the distinguisher of truth from falsehood
Faisal – decisive
Fuad – heart
Gambo – a child after twins
Hassan – first boy in a set of twins
Hassana – twin girl
Hussain – second boy in a set of twins
Hussaina – twin girl
Habibah – beloved
Hafsah – wife of the prophet
Halimah – gentle heart
Hamidah – appreciative
Habib – beloved
Hadi – calm person
Hafiz a guardian or protector
Hamzah – lion
Imam – leader
Isa – Jesus
Ismaila – Ishmael
Jummai – female child born on Friday
Jamilah: a beautiful, elegant and graceful person.
Jalil – exalted
Jamal – beauty and grace
Jibril – archangel
Kaka – grandmother
Khamees – female child born on Thursday
Khamisa – female child born on Thursday
Khadijah – wife of prophet Muhammad
Kubra – a senior person or someone with higher authority.
Kamil – complete or perfect
Khalifah – a successor
Ladi – female child born on Sunday
Lami – female child born on Thursday
Lantana – female child born on Monday
Laraba – female child born on Wednesday
Larai – female child born on Wednesday.
Latifah – kind and gentle heart
Lubabah – the innermost essence
Musa – Moses
Mansurah – supporter
Maryam – mother of Jesus
Maimuna – blessing
Mahmud – praised
Mansur – aided
Mushin – benevolent
Mustafa – chosen
Nabilah – nobility
Nafisah – precious, rare gem
Naimah – enjoying blessing of God
Rabiah – fourth
Rahmah – kind and compassionate
Ruqayyah – name of the prophet daughter
Rahid – righteous
Safiyah – pure and serene heart
Sakinah –peace of mind
Salimah – a jovial companion
Shukriyah – thanksgivings
Sumayyah – a proper name
Salim – safe
Talatu – female child born on Tuesday
Tahir – pure
Umar – lifetime
Usman – companion
Yakubu – Jacob
Yohanna – john
Yusuf – Joseph
Zahrah – flower
Zakiyyah – pure
Zainab – name of prophet daughter
Zaytum – olive
Zubaydah – radiant
How Hausas name their children
The Hausas, like many other ethnic groups in Nigeria, may pick a name based on events (which can be good or bad) surrounding the birth of the child. For instance, the Hausa Ajuji meaning ‘born on a rubbish heap’ is given to a child who is ‘born to die’ so as to deceive evil spirits.
Hausas may name their child according to the order of birth. For instance, ‘Hassan’ is given to the first child of a Hausa family.
Hausas may also name their children according to how their birth corresponds with the days of the week. For instance, ‘Danjuma’ is a name given to a child born on Friday.
Most Hausas’ names reflect the Islamic belief or faith. ‘Isa’ is the Islamic name for Jesus and ‘Musa’ is for Moses.
Before you leave… help us build the most extensive list of Hausa names and their meanings. Use the comment box below to drop any name we missed. Please??
