Akwasi
Akwasi
Name list
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]
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Ashanti people |
| Meaning | born on a Sunday |
| Region of origin |  AshantiEmpire of Ashanti |
| Other names | |
| Related names | |
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]
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]
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]
Most Ghanaian children have their cultural day names in combination with their English or Christian names. Some notable people with such names are:
- Akwasi Ampofo Adjei (1947–2004), Ghanaian musician known professionally as Mr. A.A.A.
- Akwasi Afrifa (1936–1979), Ghanaian soldier and politician
- Akwasi Afrifa (born 1958), Ghanaian politician
- Akwasi Dante Afriyie, Ghanaian politician
- Akwasi Antwi (born 1985), Canadian football player
- Akwasi Asante (born 1992), Dutch footballer
- Akwasi Appiah (born 1960), Ghanaian footballer and coach
- Akwasi Bretuo Assensoh (born 1946), Ghanaian academic and journalist
- Akwasi Boateng (born 1967), Ghanaian politician
- Akwasi Evans (1948–2019), American journalist and civil-rights activist
- Akwasi Fobi-Edusei (born 1986), English footballer
- Akwasi Oppong Fosu (born 1958), Ghanaian politician
- Akwasi Frimpong (born 1986), Ghanaian-Dutch runner and bobsledder
- Akwasi Konadu (born 1982), Ghanaian politician
- Akwasi Addo Alfred Kwarteng (born 1975), British politician
- Akwasi Mensah (born 1986), Dutch gridiron football player
- Akwasi Addai Odike (born 1964), Ghanaian businessman and politician
- Akwasi Oduro (born 1987), Belgian footballer
- Akwasi Osei-Adjei (born 1949), Ghanaian politician
- Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (born 1988), American football player
- Akwasi Owusu Afrifa-Mensa (born 1971), Ghanaian politician
- Akwasi Sarpong, Ghanaian journalist
- Akwasi Yeboah (born 1997), British basketball player
- Nana Akwasi Asare (born 1986), Ghanaian footballer
- "The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
- Kamunya, Mercy (2018-10-19). "Akan names and their meanings". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
- Konadu, Kwasi (2012). "The Calendrical Factor in Akan History". International Journal of African Historical Studies. 45: 217–246.
- "'Day born names' in Dagbani, Ewe and Fante". GhanaWeb. 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
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