The Akan people of Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. These "day names" have further meanings concerning the soul and character of the person. Middle names have considerably more variety and can refer to their birth order, twin status, or an ancestor's middle name.
This naming tradition is shared throughout West Africa and the African diaspora. During the 18th–19th centuries, enslaved people in the Caribbean from the region that is modern-day Ghana were referred to as Coromantees. Many of the leaders of enslaved people's rebellions had "day names" including Cuffy, Cuffee or Kofi, Cudjoe or Kojo, Quao or Quaw, and Quamina or Kwame/Kwamina.
Most Ghanaians have at least one name from this system, even if they also have an English or Christian name. Notable figures with day names include Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah and former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
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-, kwa or ko for men and e-, a respectively. Akan d̩wo or jo(Fante) is pronounced something like English Joe, but there do appear to be two sets of names for those born on Monday.
Day born | Fante | Variants | Root | Assoc. [1] | Jamaican / Fante names [2] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male name | Female name | Ndyuka | |||||
Sunday (Kwesida) | Kwesi | Akosua, [3] Esi | Kwasi, [3] Siisi, Akwasi, Kosi; Akasi, Akosi, Akosiwa, Kwasiba, Awusi, Asi, [3] Ese [3] | Kwasi, Kwasiba | Asi | Universe | Quashie, Quasheba |
Monday (Jowda) | Kojo [3] | Adwoa [3] | Kodjó, Kojo, Kwadwo, [3] Jojo, Cudjoe; Adjua, Ajwoba, Adwoba, Adjoa, Adjo, N'adjo, M'adjo, Adjowa, Ajao [3] | Kodyo, Adyuba | Dwo | Peace | Cudjoe, Quajo, Adjoa, Ajuba, Juba |
Tuesday (Benada) | Kwabena, [3] Ebo | Abena [3] | Komlá, Komlã, Komlan, Kabenla, Kobby, Ebo, Kobi, Kobina; [3] Ablá, Ablã, Abenaa, Araba, [3] Abrema | Abeni | Bene | Ocean | Quabena, Abena, Bena |
Wednesday (Wukuda) | Kweku, Yooku | Akua [3] | Kukuuwa, Kwaku [3] | Koku, Kokou, Kwaku, Abeiku, Kaku, Kuuku, Kwaku; Akuba, Akú, Ekua, Akuba | Wukuo | Spider | Quaco, Aqua, Acooba, Cooba |
Thursday (Yahwada) | Yaw | Yaa [3] | Yao, [3] Yawo, Yawu, Yawa, Ayawa, Kwaw, Ekow, [3] Kow; Yaa, [3] Yaaba, Yaba, Aaba, Abina | Yaw, Yaba | Ya | Earth | Quaw, Quao, Aba, Yaaba |
Friday (Fida) | Kofi [3] | Afua [3] | Fiifi, Yoofi; Afí, Afiba, Afia, [3] Efua, [3] Efe | Kofi, Afiba | Afi | Fertility | Cuffy, Cuffee, Afiba, Fiba |
Saturday (Memeneda) | Kwame [3] | Amba, Ama [3] | Kwami, Kuw-ame, Kw-ame, Kwamena, [3] Kw-amina, Komi; Ame, Ami, Amba, Ameyo | Kwami, Amba | Amene | God | Quame, Quamina, Ama |
There are also special names for elder and younger twins.
The word Panyin means older/elder. Kakra is short for Kakraba which means little/younger one. The definition/description below for the meaning of younger and an elder are backwards or vice versa.
Twin | Male name | Female name | Variants |
---|---|---|---|
Twin | Atá | Ataá | Atta |
First born ("younger" [4] twin) | Ata Panyin | Ataá Panyin | Panyin |
Second born ("elder" twin) | Ata kakra | Kakra, Kakraba | |
Born after twins | Tawia. | ||
Born after Tawia | Gaddo | Nyankómàgó |
There are also names based on the order of birth, the order born after twins, and the order born after remarriage.
Order | Male name | Female name |
---|---|---|
First born | Píèsíe | |
Second born | Mǎnu | Máanu |
Third born | Meńsã́ | Mánsã |
Fourth born | Anan, Anané | |
Fifth born | Núm, Anúm | |
Sixth born | Esĩã́ | |
Seventh born | Esuón | Nsṍwaa |
Eighth born | Bótwe | |
Ninth born | Ákron, Nkróma | Nkróma Nkrũmãh |
Tenth born | Badú | Badúwaa |
Eleventh born | Dúkũ | |
Twelfth born | Dúnu | |
Thirteenth born | Adusa | |
Fourteenth born | Agyeman | |
Last born | Kaakyire | |
Children are also given names when delivered under special circumstances.
Circumstance | Male/Female name | Translation |
---|---|---|
on the field | Efum | "The field" |
on the road | Ɔkwán | "The road" |
in war | Bekṍe, Bedíàkṍ | "war time" |
happy circumstances | Afriyie/Afiríyie | "good year" |
one who loves | Adofo | "the special one from God, warrior" |
great one | Agyenim | "the great one from God" |
after long childlessness | Nyamékyε | "gift from God" |
premature or sickly | Nyaméama | "what God has given (no man can take away)" |
forceful | Kumi | "forcefulness" |
after death of father | Antó | "it didn't meet him" |
father refuses responsibility | Obím̀pέ | "nobody wants" |
Yεmpέw | "we don't want you" |
Ashanti people given-names are concluded with a family name (surname) preceded by a given name. [5] [6] The family name (surname) are always given after close relatives and sometimes friends. [5] [6] Since Ashanti names are always given by the men, if a couple receives a son as their first born-baby then the son is named after the father of the husband and if the baby is a girl then she will be named after the mother of the husband. [5] [6] As a result, if the man is called Osei Kofi and his wife gives birth to a girl as their first born, the girl may be called Yaa Dufie even if she was not born on Friday. [5] [6] The reason is that the mother of the husband (Osei Kofi) is called Yaa Dufie. [5] [6] The Ashanti people usually give these names so that the names of close relatives be maintained in the families to show the love for their families. [5] [6]
In the olden days of Ashanti it was a disgrace if an Ashanti man was not able to name any child after his father and/or mother because that was the pride of every Ashanti household. [5] [6] Most of the ethnic-Ashanti family name (surname) given to boys could also be given to girls just by adding the letters "aa". [5] [6] Some Ashanti family names (surnames) can be given to both boys and girls without changing or adding anything. [5] [6] However, there are other ethnic-Ashanti family name (surnames) that are exclusively male names, while others are exclusively female names. [5] [6]
|
Yaa Asantewaa I was the Queen Mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire, now part of modern-day Ghana. She was appointed by her brother Nana Akwasi Afrane Okese, the Edwesuhene, or ruler, of Edwesu. In 1900, she led the Ashanti war also known as the War of the Golden Stool, or the Yaa Asantewaa War of Independence, against the British Empire.
Asante, also known as Ashanti, Ashante, or Asante Twi, is one of the principal dialects of the Akan language. It is one of the three literary dialects of Akan, the others being Bono, Akuapem and Fante. There are over 3.8 million speakers of the Asante dialect, mainly concentrated in Ghana and southeastern Cote D'Ivoire, and especially in and around the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Kwame is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people in Ghana which is given to a boy born on Saturday. Traditionally in Ghana, a child would receive their Akan day name during their Outdooring, eight days after birth.
Akan is the largest language of Ghana, and the principal native language of the Akan people, spoken over much of the southern half of Ghana. About 80% of Ghana's population speak Akan as a first or second language, and about 44% of Ghanaians are native speakers. Akan is also spoken across the border in parts of Côte d'Ivoire.
The Akan people are a Kwa group living primarily in present-day Ghana and in parts of Ivory Coast and Togo in West Africa. The Akan speak languages within the Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano subfamily of the Niger–Congo family. Subgroups of the Akan people include: the Agona, Akuapem, Akwamu, Akyem, Anyi, Ashanti, Baoulé, Bono, Chakosi, Fante, Kwahu, Sefwi, Wassa, Ahanta, and Nzema, among others. The Akan subgroups all have cultural attributes in common; most notably the tracing of royal matrilineal descent in the inheritance of property, and for succession to high political office. All Akans are considered royals in status, but not all are in royal succession or hold titles.
Okomfo Anokye was the first priest (Okomfo) of the Ashanti Empire. Anokye is known for his participation in the expansion of the empire. He was also the codifier of the constitution and laws of the Ashanti Empire.
Kofi is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people in Ghana that is given to a boy born on Friday. Traditionally in Ghana, a child would receive their Akan day name during their Outdooring, eight days after birth.
Fante, also known as Fanti, Fantse, or Mfantse, is one of the literary dialects of the Akan language, along with Bono, Asante and Akuapem, with which it is mutually intelligible. It is principally spoken in the central and southern regions of Ghana as well as in settlements in other regions in western Ghana, Ivory Coast, as well as in Liberia, Gambia and Angola.
Articles related to Ghana include:
The Asante Empire, also known as the Ashanti Empire, was an Akan state that lasted from 1701 to 1901, in what is now modern-day Ghana. It expanded from the Ashanti Region to include most of Ghana and also parts of Ivory Coast and Togo. Due to the empire's military prowess, wealth, architecture, sophisticated hierarchy and culture, the Asante Empire has been extensively studied and has more historic records written by European, primarily British, authors than any other indigenous culture of sub-Saharan Africa.
Bono, also known as Abron, Brong, and Bono Twi, is a major dialect within the Akan dialect continuum that is spoken by the Bono people, along with Akuapem and Asante collectively known as Twi, and Fante which is mutually intelligible. Bono is spoken by approximately 1.2 million people in Ghana, primarily in the Bono Region, Bono East Region, and by over 300,000 in eastern Côte d'Ivoire.
The Asante, also known as Ashanti in English, are part of the Akan ethnic group and are native to the Ashanti Region of modern-day Ghana. Asantes are the last group to emerge out of the various Akan civilisations. Twi is spoken by over nine million Asante people as their native language.
Twi is the common name of the Akan literary dialects of Asante, Akuapem and Bono Effectively, it is a synonym for 'Akan' that is not used by the Fante people. It is not a linguistic grouping, as Akuapem Twi is more closely related to Fante dialect than it is to Asante Twi. Twi generally subsumes the following Akan dialects: Ahafo, Akuapem, Akyem, Asante, Asen, Bono, Dankyira and Kwawu, which have about 4.4 million speakers in southern and central Ghana.
Offinso, is a town in the Offinso Municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The town is about fifteen minutes drive from Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region; due to Offinso's proximity to Kumasi, many of the Offinso natives have relocated to Kumasi.
Abena as a given name, it is a girl's name of Ghanaian origin and means born on Tuesday. Day names are a cultural practice of the Akan people of Ghana. Although some might believe it is mostly practised by Ashanti people, it is actually practised by all Akan people who follow traditional customs. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Abena has the appellation Kosia or Nimo, meaning friendliness. Thus, females named Abena are supposed to be friendly. Another name is also called Abena, in the indian culture. Abena is an Indian (Gujarati) surname; the Gujarati અબેના (Abēnā) possibly came from the Arabic name أبين (Abyan).
An Akrafena is an Akan sword, originally meant for warfare but also forming part of Akan heraldry. The foremost example of an akrafena is the Mponponsuo, which belonged to Opoku Ware II. It has survived to the present day because it is still occasionally used in ceremonies, such as the Akwasidae Festival.
Johann Gottlieb Christaller was a German missionary, clergyman, ethnolinguist, translator and philologist who served with the Basel Mission. He was devoted to the study of the Twi language in what was then the Gold Coast, now Ghana. He was instrumental, together with African colleagues, Akan linguists, David Asante, Theophilus Opoku, Jonathan Palmer Bekoe, and Paul Keteku in the translation of the Bible into the Akuapem dialect of Twi. Christaller was also the first editor of the Christian Messenger, the official news publication of the Basel Mission, serving from 1883 to 1895. He is recognised in some circles as the "founder of scientific linguistic research in West Africa".
Konadu Yaadom, also Kwadu Yaadom was the fourth Asantehemaa of the Ashanti Empire, whose multiple marriages and spiritual influence meant that she became an important and powerful ruler in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Oheneba is a regal rank given to both female or male child of a king or chief. It is the equivalent of prince or princess.
The Asantehemaa is the queen mother according to West African custom, who rules the Asante people alongside the Asantehene. African queen mothers generally play an important role in local government; they exercise both political and social power. Their power and influence have declined considerably since pre-colonial times, but still persist in the 21st century.