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

Hausa Male Names and Meaning

  • Adamu – Adam
  • Ali – excellent or noble
  • Aminu – reliable and trustworthy person.
  • Amir – A ruler, prince or commander
  • Balarabe – male child born on Wednesday
  • Bashir – someone who brings good news.
  • Bilal – a companion of the prophet.
  • Danasabe – child born on Saturday
  • Danjuma – male child born on Friday
  • Danladi – male child born on Sunday
  • Danlami – male child born on Thursday
  • Faruq – the distinguisher of truth from falsehood
  • Faisal – decisive
  • Fuad – heart
  • Gambo – a child after twins
  • Hassan – first boy in a set of twins
  • Hussain – second boy in a set of twins
  • Habib – beloved
  • Hadi – calm person
  • Hafiz a guardian or protector
  • Hamzah – lion
  • Imam – leader
  • Isa – Jesus
  • Ismaila – Ishmael
  • Jalil – exalted
  • Jamal – beauty and grace
  • Jibril – archangel
  • Tahir – pure
  • Umar – lifetime
  • Usman – companion
  • Yakubu – Jacob
  • Yohanna – john
  • Yusuf – Jose

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

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