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]
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:
- Kwabena Agouda (born 1985), Ghanaian football (soccer) striker
- Kwabena Bediako (born 1986), African-American chemist
- Kwabena Joetex Asamoah Frimpong, Ghanaian football (soccer) player
- Kwabena Darko, Ghanaian businessman and politician
- Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Ghanaian cardiovascular surgeon
- J. H. Kwabena Nketia (1921–2019), Ghanaian ethnomusicologist and composer
- Roi Kwabena (1956–2008), Trinidadian cultural anthropologist
- William Kwabena Tiero (born 1980), Ghanaian football player
- Kwabena Boahen, Ghanaian-American professor of bioengineering at Stanford University
- Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 1984), better known Dizzee Rascal, British grime and hip-hop artist
- Kwabena Adjepong (born 1990), better known Kwabs, British singer-songwriter
References
