Names from Zimbabwe

General Name Discussion
1

Girls:
Nokutenda (means faith)
Pavency
Synodia

Boys:
Greenfields
TakuKunda (means victory)
Tigere
Tinoshe

2

I really like Tigere … but I think it’d get mistaken for [name]Tiger[/name] a lot :frowning:

I love the girls’ name Abeni (it’s Nigerian); it means ‘we asked for her and behold, we got her’. I think it’s adorable! I also like Masamba, which apparently means ‘leaves’ in Yao (I presume this means leaves on a tree …).

3

I grew up in SOuth [name]Africa[/name] - some of my favourite girls’ names in Zulu and Xhosa are:

Thembi (trust)
Thandi/[name]Thandiwe[/name]/Thandeka (loving one)
Lindiwe (long-awaited gift)
Naledi (star)
Lerato (love)
Mandisa (sweet)
Tumelo (faith)
Kholisa (to satisfy)
Nomsa (open heart)
Ayanda (literally, an extension to the family)
Pumla (not sure of meaning)
Meliswa (not sure of meaning)

I’m sure there are others, but those are the ones I remember.

4

[name]How[/name] do you say Naledi? I think it looks very pretty.

5

na (as in the u in “butter”)
le (as in the first e in “better”)
di (dee)

I think the stress is on the second syllable.

6

Naledi is lovely!

7

These are some names I’ve heard & seen directly from Zimbabwe:

  • [name]Elias[/name] (pronounced ‘Ay-lee-us’)
  • [name]Clinton[/name]
  • Honest
  • [name]Manuel[/name]
  • Yeukai
  • [name]Rosemary[/name]
  • [name]Freddie[/name]
  • Sindisco [name]Jack[/name]
  • Believe