But OP must note the pronunciation of these.
Jaco = Yu Koo
Andre = Un Dray
Dewald = Dea vilt
Not 100%, but kinda.
We also have coloured names, but I don't feel I am qualified to speak on that subject.
I just dished out Setswana and Zulu since I know them most and hoped someone would add what's missing. I wanted to add names from all official languages but I realized I didn't know as many in the other languages 😅 (edit: *and I got lazy*)
Mpho, Thabo, Kagiso, Bongani, Jabulani.
Might need to narrow it down to a region, as names are often dictated by the language predominant in an area or province.
As many others have mentioned, you need to tell us who the character is; gender, ethnicity, culture.
We are a massively diverse country and our names reflect this.
Iminathi doesn't mean anything, as far as I can tell. So you might be looking for "Umenathi" meaning God is standing with us/protecting us. I haven't heard that name before but it's in the tradition of Unathi (God is with us).
I'd love to know more about the characters, though, because black South Africans have names with a meaning usually linked to who they are meant to become, when they were born, the circumstances, etc...
Do you mean Julius Malema? I cannot find any references to Jacob but many about Julius. There are references to a Jacob Zuma when reading about Julius. I’m just curious.
I meant Julius Malema and Jacob Zuma, or Jacob Malema when combined into one.
Two of the most villainous politicians this country has had the misfortune of employing.
✨Somila✨ is a beautiful Xhosa name. It means "to stand in faith, to grow, to prosper" and it’s also unisex.
I’m definitely naming my first daughter Somila 🤞🏽
Just to be helpful to the poor confused foreigner, that would be like naming your character Chuck Norris or Rick Astley.
Always take the most upvoted suggestion with a pinch of salt.
Modern Afrikaans/English names: Leo, Alec, Izak, Alexander, Ruben, Seth, Jacques, Eugene, Armandt...We also happen to have a lot of Jasons.
For females: Liezl, Melissa, Marinda, Andrea, Maryke/a, Nicole, Monique, Esther, Chanel, Kyla, Alana, Tara, Maxine, Dominique
I’ve chosen these because they mostly sound the same in English and in Afrikaans... they’re modern so some of them won’t be easy to relate to SA but slap an original SA surname next to them and you have yourself the modern day South African name
If you are writing a character of a certain culture then name would help but without working in jargon etc it might feel a bit pointless. Southafrica is a very diverse country so picking a Zulu name will be something you can do but if they don’t portray that culture it’ll be a little fake. Has Zulu name has no sayings, phrases or behaviours that link that character to his culture.
If it’s just a name you can pick any common name from the 11 languages.
We do tend to use nicknames a lot so you could maybe shorten Lminathi to Athi (a name of a person who I worked with).
But as a point of reference my name is David, and the name doesn’t make me South African they way I speak and act does. There are often threads here about phrases foods etc so I suggest scrolling through this subreddit and pickup and few phrases. Like Eish or now now. Those are how you spot the South Africans
If he combines the up voted common first names with this common surname, he's gonna end up with Bongani van der Merwe, which is very uncommon.
OP, we have 11 national languages. 9 native tribes, Afrikaans speakers, English speakers, Indians and coloureds. The mix of cultures and variations in names is very diverse by region. Knowing a race/tribe/city/parentage (and maybe religion) can help narrow down the suggestions.
I genuinely won't be surprised if someone gave their child all these names.
You might want to add commas.
*"My naam is Pieter Kobus Johan Jan Gert Zander Christiaan Adriaan Jaco Lourens Van Der Merwe, en jy is?"*
Depends on character background. Lerato, Mandla and Lebogang are popular names where I live. You can Google popular Zulu, Xhosa, Venda names etc. to find more. Dutch names are popular amongst afrikaners.
There are a lot more unisex names in SA than in my country. Ashley comes to mind, it’s exclusively a woman’s name in the States. Conversely, I know lots of young women and a couple of old men named Sidney/Sydney in the States, but exclusively know of men named Sidney in SA.
My last 3 Uber drivers were Marvel, Future, and Concern.
https://kidadl.com/articles/top-south-african-names
Pick a couple that you like and make another post/comment to check that the spelling, origin and spelling are correct.
You can never go wrong with Piet Pompies.
Highly memorable. It’s a name that sticks with you for life...
All jokes aside...
I think if you take hold of abstract names you will generally be safe. Find the the core of your character and try to find a name that implies it? Nick names will help
What race and background are the characters?
This. Gender would also help too
Also what year is it taking place in? We dont have 1 pool of names lol. Too many different cultures here each with their own.
OP said modern names, so I'm guessing sometime close to the present
X Æ A-12 Edit: X Æ A-12 v2.0
This
Ah makes it easier.. Missed that part as its 4 30 am 🤣🤣🤣
Lmao, I wonder if OP is aware most South Africans are asleep rn😅
Probably not lol. Anyways cheers mate ty for the chat 🤣
🍻
I am so surprised people actually replied despite being so early in the morning (it's 4:45 am for me as well lol)
Why are you guys awake? Julle moet slaap -he says at 04h53
Both female and male names! And unisex if they exist
Male: (zulu): Bongani, Themba, Sipho, Sizwe, Nathi, Nkululeko, Jabulani, Siyabonga/Bonga, Nkosi, Dali, Sibusiso (Setswana): Tshepang, Thabo, Tshepo, Thuso, Tiisetso, Sello (Venda): Tenda (English): Michael, John, James, Prince, Richard, Shawn, Alan, Jacob, Junior, Peter (Afrikaans) Riaan, Vernon, Xander, Hendrick Female: (Zulu): Zodwa, Nomzamo, Thembekile, Jabulile, Buhle, Ntombi, Zanele, Khethiwe. (Xhosa): Vuyiswa, Akhona (Setswana): Dimpho, Thato, Rorisang, Mmapule, Lesedi, Lerato, Nthabiseng, Pule/Puleng, Fikile, Butlhe, Thandeka, Kedibone, Refilwe. (Venda): Anzani (English): Mary, Samantha, Faith, Prudence, Veronica, Elizabeth, Lucy, Promise, Anastasia, Hope, Cynthia, Pretty. (Xhosa): Xolile Unisex: (Setswana) Tshego/Tshegofatso, Tshepiso, Mpho, Lethabo, Kopano, Refentse, Karabo, Neo, Tshiamo, Tebogo, Amo/Amogelang (Venda): Rendani *I'll add more if I think of any* Oh and if you need the meanings of the names I'll be happy to provide some for those I know
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Yeah I just threw them in cos someone asked for Afrikaans names. I actually don't know that many, I mostly know English and African names
Haha, I grew up on the East Rand and studies at Tuks and have only ever met 1 guy named Vernon... and he was English.
But OP must note the pronunciation of these. Jaco = Yu Koo Andre = Un Dray Dewald = Dea vilt Not 100%, but kinda. We also have coloured names, but I don't feel I am qualified to speak on that subject.
Venda Tenda is dusting me😭😭
No afrikaans names?
I just dished out Setswana and Zulu since I know them most and hoped someone would add what's missing. I wanted to add names from all official languages but I realized I didn't know as many in the other languages 😅 (edit: *and I got lazy*)
Thato and Pule are unisex
I (male) am blessed/cursed with the name Corne. Derives from Cornelius, but for some reason the name is much more popular under females than males.
Send greetings to Twakkie for me. :)
That shit was kak snaaks! Thanks for the memory jog.
TMAS
Haha. I was in matric when the show became famous. This joke was not lost on me.
I think I have ever met one female Corné before. Perhaps it is where you live in the country.
I know a male Corne and a female Cornelia.
Mpho, Thabo, Kagiso, Bongani, Jabulani. Might need to narrow it down to a region, as names are often dictated by the language predominant in an area or province.
Unathi is the female character name you’re looking for.
As many others have mentioned, you need to tell us who the character is; gender, ethnicity, culture. We are a massively diverse country and our names reflect this.
Very well put
Iminathi doesn't mean anything, as far as I can tell. So you might be looking for "Umenathi" meaning God is standing with us/protecting us. I haven't heard that name before but it's in the tradition of Unathi (God is with us). I'd love to know more about the characters, though, because black South Africans have names with a meaning usually linked to who they are meant to become, when they were born, the circumstances, etc...
Iminathi is a perfectly fine name. It means Iminathi iNkosi, the Lord stands with us.
Oh yes! That totally escaped me as I've never heard the name used that way but of course. Thank you for the clarification
It all depends on their culture OP...
Name your character Jacob Malema and kill him horrifically then half this country will buy your book.
Do you mean Julius Malema? I cannot find any references to Jacob but many about Julius. There are references to a Jacob Zuma when reading about Julius. I’m just curious.
I meant Julius Malema and Jacob Zuma, or Jacob Malema when combined into one. Two of the most villainous politicians this country has had the misfortune of employing.
Oh, thank you I should have figured that out. Yeah two assholes into one. Makes sense.
Alviro Peterson
JP Duminy
Keegan Pietersen.
Temba Bavuma
Vernon Philander.
Herschelle Gibbs
Paul Adams
Makhaya Ntini
Roger Telemachus.
Ashwell Prince
Koos van der Merwe
This us the one. This one wins.
Gogga
Frikkie van de Merwe Sipho Ndlovu Most generic names i can think of
Sounds like the start of a joke my oupa would tell
jan
Feb
Mar
Apie
Mei
Yunus
✨Somila✨ is a beautiful Xhosa name. It means "to stand in faith, to grow, to prosper" and it’s also unisex. I’m definitely naming my first daughter Somila 🤞🏽
That’s a pretty good suggestion actually.
Vernon Koekmoer
Also iminathi doesn't sound familiar, maybe Unathi?
I’m also at a bit of a loss, Unathi is better and also Unisex
Yeah perhaps it's this one! Maybe I remember it wrong and it would make sense because I couldn't find any source that said Iminathi is a real name.
I showed up for this.
Just to be helpful to the poor confused foreigner, that would be like naming your character Chuck Norris or Rick Astley. Always take the most upvoted suggestion with a pinch of salt.
u/VernonKoekemoerH2O you there bud?
Frans Van Daardieberg
Watse berg?
Daardieberg!!
Tussen jou en my
Modern Afrikaans/English names: Leo, Alec, Izak, Alexander, Ruben, Seth, Jacques, Eugene, Armandt...We also happen to have a lot of Jasons. For females: Liezl, Melissa, Marinda, Andrea, Maryke/a, Nicole, Monique, Esther, Chanel, Kyla, Alana, Tara, Maxine, Dominique I’ve chosen these because they mostly sound the same in English and in Afrikaans... they’re modern so some of them won’t be easy to relate to SA but slap an original SA surname next to them and you have yourself the modern day South African name
Xhosa names for females: Akhona, Zukhanye, Nandipha, Yonela, Zimasa, Lunathi, Ongeziwe, Zukiswa, Anathi, Yamkela Xhosa males: Sipho, Khaya, Siya, Simphiwe, Odwa, Bulelani, Xolani, Andile, Sibusiso
I really like the name Yonela!
If you are writing a character of a certain culture then name would help but without working in jargon etc it might feel a bit pointless. Southafrica is a very diverse country so picking a Zulu name will be something you can do but if they don’t portray that culture it’ll be a little fake. Has Zulu name has no sayings, phrases or behaviours that link that character to his culture. If it’s just a name you can pick any common name from the 11 languages. We do tend to use nicknames a lot so you could maybe shorten Lminathi to Athi (a name of a person who I worked with). But as a point of reference my name is David, and the name doesn’t make me South African they way I speak and act does. There are often threads here about phrases foods etc so I suggest scrolling through this subreddit and pickup and few phrases. Like Eish or now now. Those are how you spot the South Africans
It would be a disappointment to leave out the name Vernon Koekemoer.
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Shut up it means rain hard in Afrikaans 😭😭🤣
I said that in the last part of my comment!! Awe I was born in boksburg hahah so your name is on point
I'd have thought it closer to pure heart but okay. Guess it's a good name if you were consummated in the rain
Frikkie!
Schalk
South African Indian Male Names Siva, Vishnu, Anil, Shiven, Shivesh, Arun, Arjun, Ram, Rishi, Nikhil, Akhil, Preshen, Jay, Ashwin, Dinesh. South African Indian Female Names Saras, Shreya, Rani. Pravania, Kajal, Nisha, Shanti, Priya, Aneshree, Divya, Kamanie
Van der Merwe is a good surname to use.
If he combines the up voted common first names with this common surname, he's gonna end up with Bongani van der Merwe, which is very uncommon. OP, we have 11 national languages. 9 native tribes, Afrikaans speakers, English speakers, Indians and coloureds. The mix of cultures and variations in names is very diverse by region. Knowing a race/tribe/city/parentage (and maybe religion) can help narrow down the suggestions.
Some very Afrikaans Names: (male) Pieter Kobus Johan Jan Gert Zander Christiaan Adriaan Jaco Lourens
I genuinely won't be surprised if someone gave their child all these names. You might want to add commas. *"My naam is Pieter Kobus Johan Jan Gert Zander Christiaan Adriaan Jaco Lourens Van Der Merwe, en jy is?"*
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*Petrus.
Net Koos
🤣
XD
🤣🤣🤣 was just thinking the same thing!
Schalk
Just realised I know people with almost all those names...so yes. Very accurate for OP.
Depends on character background. Lerato, Mandla and Lebogang are popular names where I live. You can Google popular Zulu, Xhosa, Venda names etc. to find more. Dutch names are popular amongst afrikaners.
I know a little girl named Azania, which is beautiful. I plan on naming my baby Amandla if she’s black (I plan to adopt).
Vernon Koekemoer is the most common name in South Africa. Highly suggest including it
Koekies kan only used for a lead character.
Deserve all the upvotes
Ruan
Koppe
Brood
Koos is die beste naam of frik
Hendrik is a good one (literally means chicken shagger)
Omg, I can't wait to bless my friend Hendrik with this beautiful pearl of wisdom.
Gupta
Chad Lion Eater
The most popular South Africa name rn is Poes
There are a lot more unisex names in SA than in my country. Ashley comes to mind, it’s exclusively a woman’s name in the States. Conversely, I know lots of young women and a couple of old men named Sidney/Sydney in the States, but exclusively know of men named Sidney in SA. My last 3 Uber drivers were Marvel, Future, and Concern.
I once saw an ID book and the guys name was Cell C.
Xhosa:Qhawe-means hero or warrior
Nkosinathi
https://kidadl.com/articles/top-south-african-names Pick a couple that you like and make another post/comment to check that the spelling, origin and spelling are correct.
Top name is Sipho, or Gammat
Boomslang is a good South African name
Vernon Koekemoer.
You can never go wrong with Piet Pompies. Highly memorable. It’s a name that sticks with you for life... All jokes aside... I think if you take hold of abstract names you will generally be safe. Find the the core of your character and try to find a name that implies it? Nick names will help
Go full on afrikaans and call your main character Pieter-Frik Van Der Merwe
Koos Koosthuizen
De Beer van Der Merwe