Kwabena

Kwabena is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people (i.e. Ashanti, Akuapem, Akyem, Fante) in Ghana that means "born on a Tuesday" in Akan language, following their day naming system. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days.[1][2] Kwabena has the appellation Ogyam or Ebo meaning friendliness.[1][2][3] Thus, males named Kwabena are supposed to be friendly.[1][4]

Kwabena
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameAkan people
Meaningborn on a Tuesday
Region of origin Ashanti
Empire of Ashanti
Other names
Related namesKobina

Origin and meaning

In the Akan culture, day names are known to be derived from deities.[5] Kwabena originated from Koyabeneda and the Lord of Life's Land Day.[5][1] Males named Kwabena are known to be brave and considered as manly "obarima". They tend to be very smart, nurturing and achieve a balance between strength and compassion "ogyam"(brave).[5]

Male variants

Day names in Ghana vary in spelling among the various Akan subgroups.[2][4] The name is spelt Kwabena by the Akuapem and Ashanti subgroups while the Fante subgroup spell it as Kobina, Ebo and Kwamena.[1][4]

Female version

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

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:

References

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