Akan baby names
36 names of Akan origin given to babies in the UK and the US.
Popular Akan girls' names
The most popular in 2025, with what each name means and its rank among girls in the UK and the US.
| Name | Meaning | UK | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mansa | third-born daughter | 1,036 | – |
| Ashanti | 3,101 | 2,099 | |
| Ohemaa | queen | 2,076 | 7,883 |
| Akosua | born on Sunday | 2,076 | 11,928 |
| Ama | born on Saturday | 2,509 | 7,489 |
| Akua | born on Wednesday | 2,675 | 10,104 |
| Nhyira | blessing | 4,935 | 9,454 |
| Abena | born on Tuesday | 3,409 | 7,131 |
| Yaa | born on Thursday | 3,101 | – |
| Maame | mother | 3,409 | – |
| Adwoa | born on Monday | 4,276 | 11,928 |
| Afua | born on Friday | 4,935 | – |
| Ashanty | – | 13,203 | |
| Asanti | – | 14,937 | |
| Ashanta | – | – | |
| Ashante | – | – | |
| Ashantee | – | – | |
| Ashaunti | – | – | |
| Ashawnti | – | – | |
| Ashonti | – | – | |
| Ashunti | – | – |
Popular Akan boys' names
The most popular in 2025, with what each name means and its rank among boys in the UK and the US.
| Name | Meaning | UK | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nana | chief, elder; grandparent | 669 | 5,606 |
| Kofi | born on Friday | 1,859 | 3,239 |
| Kwame | born on Saturday | 2,202 | 2,940 |
| Obrempong | chief, great man | 1,771 | – |
| Kwabena | born on Tuesday | 2,511 | 5,859 |
| Kwaku | born on Wednesday | 2,742 | 6,799 |
| Kwadwo | born on Monday | 2,742 | 8,239 |
| Adom | grace; blessing | 2,742 | – |
| Ohene | king, chief | 3,021 | – |
| Kojo | born on Monday | 3,747 | 7,190 |
| Yaw | born on Thursday | 4,301 | 10,690 |
| Kwasi | 5,065 | 10,690 | |
| Osei | 5,065 | 12,003 | |
| Kwesi | born on Sunday | – | 9,710 |
| Gyasi | wonderful | – | – |
Every Akan name, A to Z
Other origins
Amharic, Arabic, Aramaic, Baltic, Celtic, Chinese, Cornish, English, French, Germanic, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Igbo, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Modern, Native American, Old English, Old Norse, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Scandinavian, Scottish, Slavic, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese, Welsh, Yoruba
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Akan baby names”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/origins/akan, updated 20 October 2026.