Swahili baby names
54 names of Swahili origin given to babies in the UK and the US.
Popular Swahili 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zuri | good, beautiful | 643 | 328 |
| Imani | faith | 681 | 579 |
| Malaika | angel | 1,036 | 2,326 |
| Emani | faith | 2,856 | 1,373 |
| Zhuri | good, beautiful | 3,409 | 1,500 |
| Imara | strong, firm, steadfast | 1,690 | 2,998 |
| Maisha | life | 2,206 | 7,883 |
| Imaani | faith | 2,675 | – |
| Malaikah | angel | 3,101 | – |
| Taraji | hope; expectation | 4,276 | 7,489 |
| Xuri | good; beautiful | – | 3,644 |
| Zuriyah | – | 3,902 | |
| Zamani | long ago, the past | – | 5,916 |
| Ahmani | peace | – | 5,916 |
| Nyota | star | – | 5,409 |
| Zurii | beautiful, good | – | 5,409 |
| Imarni | 4,935 | – | |
| Furaha | joy, happiness | – | 5,553 |
| Safari | journey | – | 8,360 |
| Zury | beautiful, good | – | 5,916 |
| Sifa | praise, good reputation | – | 6,115 |
| Sarabi | mirage | – | 6,837 |
| Riziki | provision, livelihood, blessings | – | 7,131 |
| Zurie | good, beautiful | – | 7,131 |
| Bahati | luck, good fortune | – | 10,913 |
| Zawadi | gift | – | 8,360 |
| Kimya | silence, quiet | – | 10,913 |
| Mazuri | good, beautiful | – | 10,913 |
| Emanii | faith | – | 13,203 |
| Emmani | faith | – | 14,937 |
Popular Swahili boys' names
The most popular in 2025, with what each name means and its rank among boys in the UK and the US.
Every Swahili name, A to Z
- Ahmani
- Asante
- Bahati
- Emani
- Emanie
- Emanii
- Emmani
- Enzi
- Furaha
- Imaani
- Imani
- Imanie
- Imara
- Imarni
- Jabaree
- Jabari
- Jabarie
- Jabarri
- Jabori
- Jahbari
- Jahi
- Jasiri
- Johari
- Kijana
- Kijani
- Kimya
- Kimyah
- Kovu
- Kweli
- Maisha
- Malaika
- Malaikah
- Malkia
- Mazuri
- Nyota
- Riziki
- Safari
- Sarabi
- Shomari
- Sifa
- Simba
- Taraji
- Xuri
- Ymani
- Zamani
- Zawadi
- Zhuri
- Zuree
- Zuri
- Zurie
- Zurii
- Zuriyah
- Zurri
- Zury
Other origins
Akan, 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, 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, “Swahili baby names”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/origins/swahili, updated 20 October 2026.