I borrowed Best Exotic Baby Names in my quest for African names and their meanings. This book contains over 3,600 names from many areas of the world, not just Africa. there are names from the Hausa, Igbo, Kamba, Kikuyu, Shona, Swahili, Yoruba, and Zulu tribes. Other area of the world represented are: Arabic, Middle and Old English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Maya, Norwegian, Russian, Sanskrit, Sioux, Spanish, Swedish, Tibetan, and Welsh.


This book is split into two major sections - Girls' Names and Boys' Names and arranges the names in alphabetical order. Each name has the spelling, pronunciation, and meaning. Some names also have the Latin version of the name, root words or root names, and/or metaphors for the name.

I counted the number of African names listed in this book. There are 148 African names. If you are looking for a specifically African name, this may not be the best book to use since there are many many books dedicated to African baby names. However, if you are looking for some ideas or an all around exotic name, this book isn't a bad choice.

I looked through the book to try and find my husband's name (Okechukwu). I didn't find it in this book. Nor did I find other African names that are fairly popular here in the United States like Kweku, Asante, etc. Obinna is in the book in Appendix 3 - Extra Exotic Boys' Names. The meaning and break down of the name are correct.


I borrowed this copy of Best Exotic Baby Names from my library.

Best Exotic Baby Names is available at Amazon.com