I’ve had a customer who is interested in finding an authentic African baby name. Where should I start?

For the customer looking for authentic African names for their new baby, the African American Department has many resources. All of these books fall under the CS 2375-2377 call numbers in our reading room. 1,001 African Names: First and Last Names from the African Continent by Julia Stewart is a great place to start. Not only does it give you male and female names from A to Z with pronunciation, country, village or tribe of origin as well as definition of meaning, yet Stewart also includes an introduction on traditional African naming practices, ceremonies, superstitions associated with names and much more. Other sources to consider:

• The African American Baby Name Book by Teresa Norman
  
  
• What’s In a Name? Unaitwaje?: A Swahili Book of Names by Sharfa M. Zawawi
  
  
• The Book of African Names by Molefi Kete Asante

If you are looking for a way to search for African baby names on the internet, try the following websites:

• Parents Connect: African Names & Meanings
  
  
• Baby Names - can search by country/continent of origin