Akan names

The Akan people of Ghana frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. These names have spread through West Africa, from Benin/Dahomey (Fon) and Togo (Ewe) to the Côte d'Ivoire (Baoulé), and throughout the African diaspora. For example, in Jamaica the following day names have been recorded: Monday, Cudjoe; Tuesday, Cubbenah; Wednesday, Quaco; Thursday, Quao; Friday, Cuffee; Saturday, Quamin; Sunday, Quashee. English translations of these names were used in the United States during the nineteenth century; Robinson Crusoe's Friday may be conceptually related.

Most Ghanaians have at least one name from this system. Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was so named for being born on a Saturday (Kwame) and being the ninth born (Nkrumah). Also, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, was so named for being born on a Friday (Kofi).

In the official orthography of the Twi language, the Ashanti versions of these names as spoken in Kumasi are as follows. The diacritics on á a̍ à represent high, mid, and low tone (tone does not need to be marked on every vowel), while the diacritic on a̩ is used for vowel harmony and can be ignored. (Diacritics are frequently dropped in any case.) Variants of the names are used in other languages, or may represent different transliteration schemes. The variants mostly consist of different affixes (in Ashanti, kwa- or ko- for men and a- plus -a or -wa for women). For example, among the Fante, the prefixes are kwe- and e-, respectively. Akan d̩wo is pronounced something like English Joe, but there do appear to be two sets of names for those born on Tuesday.

Day names

Day born	Ashanti		Variants
	Male name	Female name	?	Ndyuka
Monday ([Ɛ]dwóada)	Kwadwó	Adwóà, Adwóa	Kodjó, Kojo (pronounced Ko-n-joe), Jojo; Adjua, Adjoa, Ajwoba	Kodyo, Adyuba
Tuesday ([Ɛ]bénada)	Kwabená	Ábenaa, Abénaa	Komlá, Komlã, Kobby, Ebo, Kobi Kobina; Araba, Ablá, Ablã, Abena, Abrema	Kwamina, Abeni
Wednesday (Wukúada)	Kwakú	Akúà, Akúá, Akuba	Koku, Kweku, kaku, Kuuku; Akú, Ekua	Kwaku, Akuba
Thursday (Yáwóada)	Yàw	Yaá	Yao, Yaba, Yawo, Ekow, Kow, Kwaw; Ayawa, Baaba, Yaaba, Aba	Yaw, Yaba
Friday ([E]fíada)	Kofí	Afúa	Koffi, Fiifi, Yoofi; Afí, Afía, Efia, Efua	Kofi, Afiba
Saturday (Méméneda)	Kwámè, Kwǎmè, Kwamená	Ám̀ma, Ámmá	Ato, Kwami, Komi; Ame, Ama, Amba, Ameyo	Kwami, Amba
Sunday (Kwasíada)	Kwasí	Akósua	Kwesi, Siisi, Akwasi, Kosi; Akosi, Akosiwa, Así, Esi, Kwasiba.	Kwasi, Kwasiba

Twin names

There are also special names for elder and younger twins. The second twin to be born is considered the elder as they were mature enough to help their sibling out first.

Twin	Male name	Female name	Variants
Twin	Atá	Ataá	Atta
Younger twin (first born)	Atá Pánin	Ataá Pánin	Payin
Elder twin (second born)	Atá Kúmaa	Ataá Kúmaa	Akwetee (m), Atsú, Kakira
Born after twins	Táwia
Born after Tawia	Nyankómàgó

Birth-order names

There are also names based on the order born, the order born after twins, and the order born after remarriage.

Order	Male name	Female name	Variants
First born	Píèsíe		Berko (m), Arko (m), Dede (f), Abaka, Kande (f)?
Second born	Mǎnu	Máanu
Third born	Meńsã́	Mánsã	Mensah, Mansah
Fourth born	Anan, Anané		Annan
Fifth born	Núm, Anúm
Sixth born	Nsĩã́		Essien
Seventh born	Asón	Nsṍwaa	Esson, Ansong
Eight born	Bótwe		Awotwe, Awotwie
Ninth born	Ákron, Nkróma	Nkróma	Akun, Ackon, Nkrumah
Tenth born	Badú	Badúwaa	Bedu
Eleventh born	Dúkũ
Twelfth born	Dúnu
Last born		Kaakyire
First with a new husband

Special delivery

Children are also given names when delivered under special circumstances.

Order	Male/Female name	Translation
on the field	Afúom	"on the farm"
on the road	Ɔkwán	"the road"
in war	Bekṍe, Bedíàkṍ	"war time"
happy circumstances	Afiríyie	"good year"
after death of father	Antó	"it didn't meet him"
after long childlessness	Nyamékyε	"gift from God"
premature or sickly	Nyaméama	"what God has given (no man can take away)"
''father refuses responsibility	Obím̀pέ	"nobody wants"
	Yεmpέw	"we don't want you"

• One who loves -Adofo
• Ethnic -Hauhouot(owo)
• Forceful -Kumi

References

• J.E. Redden and N. Owusu (1963, 1995). Twi Basic Course. Foreign Service Institute (Hippocrene reprint). ISBN 0-7818-0394-2
• Florence Abena Dolphyne (1996). A comprehensive course in Twi (Asante) for the Non-Twi learner. Ghana Universities Press, Accra. ISBN 9964302452
• Akan Teleteaching course
• Aukan Library (Ndyuka)