Afro-American Names
These names occur in the various mythologies and religions that developed in the Americas among African slaves.
7 names in our directory
Afro-American
7Anansi (also spelled Ananse) is a masculine given name derived from the Akan language word ananse, meaning "spider". In West African and Caribbean folklore, Anansi is a prominent trickster figure who often assumes the fo...
Iemanjá is the Portuguese form of Yemọja, a major water deity in the Yoruba religion, used in Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking regions by adherents of Afro-Brazilian religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda. The name...
Janaína is a Portuguese feminine name that has strong ties to Afro-Brazilian culture and mythology. It is a variant of Iemanjá, the Portuguese form of the Yoruba goddess Yemọja.Etymology and MythologyIn Yoruba religion,...
Oxalá is a masculine name used in Brazil, particularly among adherents of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé. It is the Portuguese form of Oriṣanla, an epithet of the Yoruba deity Ọbatala. The name also coincides with...
Oxum is the Portuguese form of Ọṣun, used by adherents of Candomblé in Brazil, where it refers to a spirit associated with fertility and wealth. In the Yoruba religion, Ọṣun (also known as Oshun) is the orisha of love, s...
Yemanjá is a variant of Iemanjá, the Portuguese form used in Brazil for the Yoruba deity Yemọja. As a revered oriṣa (spirit) in the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé, Yemanjá embodies the mother goddess of the sea, pr...
Yemayá is the Spanish form of Yemọja, employed in various Afro-American syncretic religions across the Caribbean and South America. It derives from the Yoruba name Yemọja, which means ʿmother of fish,ʾ from iye ʿmother,ʾ...