Hausa Names and Meaning

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 group 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, the Central African Republic, the 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 tribes and religions in that part of the country that is not Hausas.

In this article, we list some Hausa names and their meanings:

1. Adamu – Adam
2. Ali – excellent or noble
3. Aminu – reliable and trustworthy person.
4. Amir – A ruler, prince or commander
5. Aisha – to live in prosperity.
6. Amina – safe protected and secure.
7. Asmau – loftier or eminent personality
8. Atikah – of a pure heart
9. Asabe – child born on Saturday.
10. Balaraba – female child born on Wednesday
11. Balarabe – male child born on Wednesday
12. Bashir – someone who brings good news.
13. Bilal – a companion of the prophet.
14. Danasabe – child born on Saturday
15. Danjuma – male child born on Friday
16. Danladi – male child born on Sunday
17. Danlami – male child born on Thursday
18. Faidah – advantage
19. Faiqah – someone who surpasses excellence
20. Fatimah – daughter of the prophet
21. Faizu – victorious
22. Faruq – the distinguisher of truth from falsehood
23. Faisal – decisive
24. Fuad – heart
25. Gambo – a child after twins
26. Hassan – first boy in a set of twins
27. Hassana – twin girl
28. Hussain – second boy in a set of twins
29. Hussaina – twin girl
30. Habibah – beloved
31. Hafsah – wife of the prophet
32. Halimah – gentle heart
33. Hamidah – appreciative
34. Habib – beloved
35. Hadi – calm person
36. Hafiz a guardian or protector
37. Hamzah – lion
38. Imam – leader
39. Isa – Jesus
40. Ismaila – Ishmael
41. Jummai – female child born on Friday
42. Jamilah: a beautiful, elegant and graceful person.
43. Jalil – exalted
44. Jamal – beauty and grace
45. Jibril – archangel
46. Kaka – grandmother
47. Khamees – female child born on Thursday
48. Khamisa – female child born on Thursday
49. Khadijah – wife of prophet Muhammad
50. Kubra – a senior person or someone with higher authority.
51. Kamil – complete or perfect
52. Khalifah – a successor
53. Ladi – female child born on Sunday
54. Lami – female child born on Thursday
55. Lantana – female child born on Monday
56. Laraba – female child born on Wednesday
57. Larai – female child born on Wednesday.
58. Latifah – kind and gentle heart
59. Lubabah – the innermost essence
60. Musa – Moses
61. Mansurah – supporter
62. Maryam – mother of Jesus
63. Maimuna – blessing
64. Mahmud – praised
65. Mansur – aided
66. Mushin – benevolent
67. Mustafa – chosen
68. Nabilah – nobility
69. Nafisah – precious, rare gem
70. Naimah – enjoying blessing of God
71. Rabiah – fourth
72. Rahmah – kind and compassionate
73. Ruqayyah – name of the prophet daughter
74. Rahid – righteous
75. Safiyah – pure and serene heart
76. Sakinah –peace of mind
77. Salimah – a jovial companion
78. Shukriyah – thanksgivings
79. Sumayyah – a proper name
80. Salim – safe
81. Talatu – female child born on Tuesday
82. Tahir – pure
83. Umar – lifetime
84. Usman – companion
85. Yakubu – Jacob
86. Yohanna – john
87. Yusuf – Joseph
88. Zahrah – flower
89. Zakiyyah – pure
90. Zainab – name of prophet daughter
91. Zaytum – olive
92. Zubaydah – radiant

Hausa Female Names and Meaning

• A’ISHA living, prosperous
• AMINAH safe, secure, protected
• ASMA’U loftier, more eminent
• ATIKAH clear, pure
• FA’IDAH benefit, advantage
• FA’IQAH surpassing, excellent
• FA’IZAH victorious
• HABIBAH beloved
• HALIMAH gentle, clement
• HAMIDAH appreciative
• IMAN faith, belief
• JAMILAH beautiful, elegant, graceful
• KUBRA great, senior
• LATIFAH kind, gentle, refined
• LUBABAH the innermost essence
• MANSURAH s upporter, victorious
• MAIMUNA fortunate, blessed
• NABILAH noble, magnanimous
• NAFISAH precious, delicate, gem
• NA’IMAH enjoying the bounty of God
• RABI’AH fourth
• RAHMAH kind, compassionate
• RASHIDAH rightly-guided
• SAFIYAH pure, serene
• SAKINAH tranquility, peace of mind
• SALIMAH safe, sound, healthy
• SAMIRAH jovial companion
• SHUKRIYAH Thanksgiving, of thanks
• SUMAYYAH proper name
• ZAHRAH flower, blossom, splendor
• ZAKIYYAH pure, chaste
• ZAYTUN olive
• ZUBAYDAH cream of the crop, 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.

Hausa Names and Meaning FAQ

What does danladi mean in Hausa?

Danladi’s native language is African-Hausa, which is primarily spoken in Hausa. Danladi is a name that means is ‘born on Sunday.’

What are some Nigerian names?

• Sade
• Ayofemi
• Dola
• Alika
• Jaja
• Chinara
• Okechukwu
• Uchechi
• Olutosin
• Adesina
• Adanna
• Oluwatobi
• Chinelo
• Chinua
• Ayo
• Obi
• Ngozi
• Adeola
• Chukwuebuka
• Taiwo
• Oba
• Abebi
• Chileogu
• Alaba
• Adola
• Anuli
• Bolade
• Bolanile
• Chimaijem
• Chinagorom
• Chinecherem
• Ekon
• Udo

Is Hausa an International Language?

Yes. The Hausa language is perhaps the most predominant local language in West and Central Africa, with roughly 40–50 million people speaking it as a primary or secondary language. Within the Afro-Asian linguistic group, it goes back to the Western branch of the Chadic language superfamily.

The Hausa people’s ancestral lands are on both sides of the Niger-Nigeria boundary, where Hausa is spoken as a native language by roughly half of the population, and Nigeria, where it is spoken by about a quarter of the population.

The Hausa people are primarily Muslim. Their long-distance trade and hajj to the Islamic Holy Cities have spread their language to nearly every major city in Western, Northern, Central, and Northeastern Africa.

See: Yoruba Names And Their Meanings