Akwasi

Akwasi or Kwasí or Kwesi is an Ashanti masculine given name originating from the Ashanti people and their Ashanti day naming system, meaning born on a Sunday. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Akwasi has the appellation Bodua or Obueakwan meaning agility.[1][2] Thus, males named Akwasi are supposed to be agile by nature.[1][2]

Akwasi
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameAshanti people
Meaningborn on a Sunday
Region of origin Ashanti
Empire of Ashanti
Other names
Related names

Origin and Meaning

In the Akan culture, day names are known to be derived from deities. Akwasi originated from Koyasi and the Lord of Life Descent deity of the day Sunday.[3] Males named Akwasi are known to be leaders in society and also known to be "clearer of the way" (obue-akwan). They are very inquisitive and tend to be pulled into a thing of interest.[3]

Male Variants of Akwasi

Day names in Ghana vary in spelling among the various Akan subgroups.[2][4] The name is spelt Akwasi or Kwasi by the Akuapem and Ashanti subgroups while the Fante subgroup spell it as Kwesi.[4]

Female version of Akwasi

In the Akan culture and other local cultures in Ghana, day names come in pairs for males and females. The variant of the name used for a female child born on Sunday is Akosua.[1][2]

Notable people with the name

Most Ghanaian children have their cultural day names in combination with their English or Christian names. Some notable people with such names are:

See also

References
  1. "The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  2. Kamunya, Mercy (2018-10-19). "Akan names and their meanings". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  3. Konadu, Kwasi (2012). "The Calendrical Factor in Akan History". International Journal of African Historical Studies. 45: 217–246.
  4. "'Day born names' in Dagbani, Ewe and Fante". GhanaWeb. 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
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