Baby girl names in Nigeria are usually based on the circumstances surrounding the child’s birth. The child is also named based on cultural beliefs, family background and religious affiliation.
The naming is usually done by the child’s parents and loved ones. And in a country that boasts over 500 languages and many more dialects, you can be sure of a variety of beautiful names.
Many times, these names are gender specific. However, there are instances where the given names are unis3x; this means they could belong to both male and female children.
That being said, here are our top 20 names for baby girls in Nigeria.
20 Top Baby Girl Names in Nigeria
Adaobi
Adaobi is a name from the Igbo tribe for the first daughter of the family. “Ada” means daughter and “Obi” means family, or compound if we are being more direct. The combination of both means the daughter of the family.
Almost every first daughter bears the name Adaobi, which is why this is one of the most popular baby girl names in Nigeria. In the Igbo tribe, the first daughters are very highly regarded, both in their father’s house and among their kinsmen.
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Adetutu
Adetutu is a Yoruba baby name given to girls of royal descent or baby girls that come from royal bloodlines. It simply means the crown is soothing.
This name has been around for a while but it is quite rare because, as earlier stated, it is reserved for royal bloodlines.
Araoluwa
This name is from the Yoruba tribe and it could mean different things depending on how you pronounce the name.
The first pronunciation, Àràoluwa means the body of God, while the second Áràoluwa means the wonders of God.
This name is slowly becoming one of the most popular baby girl names in Nigeria. It has a really beautiful meaning and sounds rich as well.
Asabe
Asabe is one of the popular Nigerian baby girl names from the northern region of the country. It means “Saturday child”.
The name is given to girls born on the last day of the week.
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Chimamanda
Chimamanda is a Nigerian name of Igbo origin, and means “my God will never fail”.
The Igbo culture believes that the “chi”, which is the head or the guardian angel is in charge of the affairs of one’s life. For it is believed that no human being walks alone on this Earth. The supreme God and creator (Chukwu) assigns one’s chi before and at the time of birth, which remains with the person for the rest of their life on Earth.
This is why most Igbo names begin with the word “Chi”.
Deina
Deina is a Nigerian baby girl name that means peace. It originates from the Ijaw/Izon tribe who occupy various parts in the states of Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, and Rivers States.
Ebiere
Ebiere is a Nigerian name of Ijaw/Izon origin. It is one of the popular baby girl names and means “beautiful woman/perfect beauty” in English. It is a combination of 2 words ‘ebi’ which means good and ‘ere’ meaning woman.
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Esosa
Esosa is of Benin origin and means “a blessing from God” or “God’s gift”. It is a compression of the word Eseosa; Ese means gift and Osa means God.
Hassana
Like most Hausa names, Hassana is of Arabic roots. It is given to a female twin and literally means beautiful or fair-looking in the Arabic language.
Some people believe it has an Islamic interpretation, which could range from victory, abundance, or support as stated in a verse of the Quran.
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Idia
Idia is of Benin origin. It comes from the warrior queen Queen Idia, the mother of Esigie, the Oba of Benin who ruled from 1504 to 1550. She played a very significant role in the rise and reign of her son; history describes her as a great warrior who fought relentlessly before and during her son’s reign as the oba (king) of the Edo people.
Queen Idia was instrumental in securing the title of oba for Esigie following the death of his father Oba Ozolua. To that end, she raised an army to fight off his brother Arhuaran, and subsequently defeated him in battle.
Esigie thus became the 17th Oba of Benin and conferred the title of iyoba (Queen Mother) on his mother, along with Eguae-Iyoba (Palace of the Queen Mother).
Imade
Imade is a Nigerian name from Benin, and means “I did not fall”. Its meaning also includes a longer name variation of Imadeyowa (I did not fall into this house (as in, for nothing, i.e. I am here for something, to achieve something).
Itohan
The name Itohan is of Edo origin. It means kindness or mercy. It is one of the popular baby girl names from that region.
Iyua
Iyua is a baby girl name from the Tiv tribe. It means “Gift”.
Kando
Kando is a name given to a baby girl born after 3 or 4 brothers in Hausa culture. It is a traditional name, very rare.
Unlike most names in Hausa that have Islamic origins, Kando is from the culture.
Mimidoo
The name Mimidoo means “truth is good” or “honesty is good”. It originates from the Tiv, a minority tribe in Nigeria.
Ofunne
Ofunne is mainly heard in the Delta region of Nigeria, and means “one mother”. It has a deeper connotation, however, as it praises the value of monogamy against the polygamous system that comes with various problems, especially in the African traditional society.
The name is also used to fondly describe baby girls who are believed to be reincarnations of a particular female family member.
Olatorera
Olatorera is a baby girl name from the Yoruba tribe. It means “wealth is worth having” or “Wealth gives peace”.
The name is not so common, and it gives the bearer a feeling of uniqueness among others.
Onome
Onome is a fairly popular name for girls with roots in Edo state. It means “my own” and is the Urhobo version of Nkem.
Apart from being a name, people also fondly call their loved ones Onome.
Ufoma
Ufoma is an abridged version of the name Ufuoma. The name is of Urhobo origin and it means “peace of mind”.
The Urhobos are people located in southern Nigeria, near the northwestern Niger Delta. They are the major ethnic group in Delta State, one of the 36 states in Nigeria.
Wuraade
This Yoruba name consists of two independent nouns, “Wura” and “Ade”. Wura means gold or precious, while Ade means crown. The combination of both birthed the name Wuraade, which means “Crown of Gold”.
Some similar connotations of the name include Wuraola, meaning crown of wealth. Adeniwura means the crown is gold.
This particular name Wuraade is not common among Nigerians yet, but you will very easily hear Wuraola or the shortened form Wura.
