Nigerian Last Name Generator
Nigerian surnames labeled by people, from Lagos to Borno
500 Nigerian surnames, most labeled with the people each is best known among, such as Adeyemi (Yoruba), Okafor (Igbo), Danjuma (Hausa) and Osagie (Edo).
About Nigerian last names
Nigeria has more than 250 peoples, and its surnames follow that map. Each entry here gives one surname and, in parentheses, the people it is best known among. Names with no label, such as Bello, Lawal, Ibrahim and Yusuf, are carried by families of several peoples, in the north and the southwest alike. A label describes the name, not any one family, and no surname proves ancestry, faith or status.
Yoruba surnames are built from words like Ade (crown), Ogun (the deity of iron) and Akin (valor): Adeyemi, Ogunleye, Akinwale. Igbo names draw on Chukwu (God), Nwa (child) and Eze (king), and Okafor, Okeke, Okoye and Okonkwo each mark a birth on one of the four market days. Many Hausa, Fulani and other northern families use a father's given name or a home town as the surname, which is why Abubakar, Shagari and Kwankwaso appear beside titles such as Galadima and Waziri.
The smaller peoples are here too: Edo names like Osagie and Igbinedion, Efik and Ibibio names like Effiong and Bassey, and Ijaw, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Tiv, Idoma, Igala, Kanuri and Nupe names. English house names from the Niger Delta, such as Briggs and Pepple, and the Saro and Brazilian returnee names of Lagos, such as Macaulay and da Silva, complete the list.
How to choose Nigerian last names
- Pair the surname with a given name from the same people. Okafor goes with Chinedu or Ngozi, Adeyemi with Tunde or Folake, and Danjuma with Aminu or Hadiza.
- Use the label as a guide to a region. Yoruba names belong to the southwest, Igbo names to the southeast, Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri names to the north, and Ijaw, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Efik and Ibibio names to the Niger Delta and the southeastern coast.
- Keep apostrophes and hyphens as written. Yar'Adua, Diete-Spiff and Bob-Manuel are each a single surname.
- For a northern character, a father's given name is a realistic surname. Pick an unlabeled name such as Abubakar, Usman or Yakubu, or a town name such as Gusau or Jega.
- Expect plain spellings. Tone marks are usually left off in everyday English writing, so the list gives the forms seen on passports and school records.
Frequently asked questions
What are some common Nigerian last names?
Widely met surnames include Adeyemi, Balogun and Ojo among the Yoruba, Okafor, Eze and Nwosu among the Igbo, and Abubakar, Bello, Ibrahim and Musa across the north. We give no ranking, because we have no reliable count for each name. The labels let you look for well-known names of one people instead.
Why do some names have no label?
Names such as Bello, Lawal, Yusuf, Ibrahim and Sanusi are carried by Yoruba families as well as Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri and Nupe ones, so a single label would be wrong. The same goes for English names like Williams and Johnson, which are found in many parts of the south.
What do Yoruba and Igbo surnames mean?
Most began as a given name with a meaning. Yoruba names combine words such as Ade, crown, and Ola, wealth or honor, while Igbo names often use Chukwu, God, or Nwa, child. Okafor, Okeke, Okoye and Okonkwo each name a boy born on one of the four Igbo market days.
Why are there English and Portuguese surnames on a Nigerian list?
They are long-established Nigerian family names. Freed people who came back from Sierra Leone in the 1800s, known as Saro, brought names like Cole, Macaulay and Doherty to Lagos, and returnees from Brazil brought da Silva, Pedro and Salvador. In the Niger Delta, trading houses took names such as Briggs, Horsfall and Pepple.
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All 500 Nigerian last names
A: 77 names
- Abdullahi
- Abiola (Yoruba)
- Abubakar
- Achebe (Igbo)
- Achimugu (Igala)
- Adamu
- Adebanjo (Yoruba)
- Adebayo (Yoruba)
- Adebowale (Yoruba)
- Adeboye (Yoruba)
- Adedeji (Yoruba)
- Adekunle (Yoruba)
- Adeniji (Yoruba)
- Adeniran (Yoruba)
- Adenuga (Yoruba)
- Adeosun (Yoruba)
- Adeoye (Yoruba)
- Aderemi (Yoruba)
- Adesina (Yoruba)
- Adewole (Yoruba)
- Adewumi (Yoruba)
- Adeyanju (Yoruba)
- Adeyemi (Yoruba)
- Adeyeye (Yoruba)
- Adichie (Igbo)
- Afolayan (Yoruba)
- Agbese (Idoma)
- Aghahowa (Edo)
- Agu (Igbo)
- Agusto (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- Agwu (Igbo)
- Ahmed
- Aikhomu (Esan)
- Aina (Yoruba)
- Airhiavbere (Edo)
- Ajanah (Ebira)
- Ajomale (Yoruba)
- Akande (Yoruba)
A, continued
- Akenzua (Edo)
- Akiga (Tiv)
- Akindele (Yoruba)
- Akinduro (Yoruba)
- Akinjobi (Yoruba)
- Akinrele (Yoruba)
- Akinsete (Yoruba)
- Akintoye (Yoruba)
- Akinwale (Yoruba)
- Akpabio (Annang)
- Akpan (Efik and Ibibio)
- Akpobome (Urhobo)
- Aku (Tiv)
- Akume (Tiv)
- Alagoa (Ijaw)
- Alakija (Yoruba)
- Alamieyeseigha (Ijaw)
- Alia (Tiv)
- Aliyu
- Aluko (Yoruba)
- Amachree (Ijaw)
- Amadi (Igbo)
- Ameh (Idoma)
- Aminu
- Anenih (Esan)
- Animashaun (Yoruba)
- Anyaoku (Igbo)
- Archibong (Efik)
- Ardo (Fulani)
- Asekun (Yoruba)
- Asuquo (Efik and Ibibio)
- Atabo (Igala)
- Atta (Ebira)
- Audu (Hausa)
- Awolowo (Yoruba)
- Ayida (Itsekiri)
- Ayoola (Yoruba)
- Ayu (Tiv)
- Azikiwe (Igbo)
B: 20 names
- Babangida (Hausa)
- Badmus (Yoruba)
- Bafarawa (Hausa and Fulani)
- Bakare (Yoruba)
- Bala (Hausa)
- Bali (Tarok)
- Balogun (Yoruba)
- Bamalli (Fulani)
- Bamgbose (Yoruba)
- Bassey (Efik and Ibibio)
- Bature (Hausa)
- Bello
- Bichi (Hausa and Fulani)
- Birabi (Ogoni)
- Blaize (Saro, Lagos)
- Bob-Manuel (Ijaw)
- Boro (Ijaw)
- Briggs (Ijaw)
- Bukar (Kanuri)
- Bulama (Kanuri)
C: 8 names
- Cardoso (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- Carr (Saro, Lagos)
- Chollom (Berom)
- Chukwu (Igbo)
- Ciroma (Hausa)
- Coker (Saro, Lagos)
- Cole (Saro, Lagos)
- Crowther (Saro, Lagos)
D: 24 names
- da Costa (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- da Rocha (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- da Silva (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- Dada (Yoruba)
- Dafinone (Urhobo)
- Dairo (Yoruba)
- Dambazau (Hausa and Fulani)
- Dangote (Hausa)
- Danjuma (Hausa)
- Danladi (Hausa)
- Dantata (Hausa)
- Darah (Urhobo)
- Daramola (Yoruba)
- Daura (Hausa and Fulani)
- Diete-Spiff (Ijaw)
- Dike (Igbo)
- Dimka (Ngas)
- Doherty (Saro, Lagos)
- Dokubo (Ijaw)
- Dosunmu (Yoruba)
- Duke (Efik)
- Dung (Berom)
- Durosinmi (Yoruba)
- Duru (Igbo)
E: 36 names
- Edet (Efik and Ibibio)
- Edevbie (Urhobo)
- Edewor (Urhobo)
- Effiong (Efik and Ibibio)
- Egwu (Igbo)
- Ehanire (Edo)
- Ejaife (Urhobo)
- Ejembi (Idoma)
- Ejiofor (Igbo)
- Ekanem (Efik and Ibibio)
- Ekong (Efik and Ibibio)
- Ekpenyong (Efik and Ibibio)
- Ekpo (Efik and Ibibio)
- Ekwensi (Igbo)
- Ekwueme (Igbo)
- Ekwunife (Igbo)
- Elegbede (Yoruba)
- Elumelu (Igbo)
- Emecheta (Igbo)
- Emerhor (Urhobo)
- Emiko (Itsekiri)
- Enahoro (Esan)
- Enwerem (Igbo)
- Enwonwu (Igbo)
- Esiri (Urhobo)
- Essien (Efik and Ibibio)
- Etim (Efik and Ibibio)
- Etuk (Efik and Ibibio)
- Eweka (Edo)
- Eyamba (Efik)
- Eyo (Efik and Ibibio)
- Eze (Igbo)
- Ezeh (Igbo)
- Ezeife (Igbo)
- Ezekwesili (Igbo)
- Ezenwa (Igbo)
F: 13 names
- Fabiyi (Yoruba)
- Fadipe (Yoruba)
- Fagunwa (Yoruba)
- Fajuyi (Yoruba)
- Falae (Yoruba)
- Falana (Yoruba)
- Farotimi (Yoruba)
- Fasehun (Yoruba)
- Fashola (Yoruba)
- Fasoranti (Yoruba)
- Fawehinmi (Yoruba)
- Fayemi (Yoruba)
- Fubara (Ijaw)
G: 16 names
- Galadima (Hausa)
- Gambo (Hausa)
- Gana (Nupe)
- Garba
- Gbadamosi (Yoruba)
- Gbagi (Urhobo)
- Gbajabiamila (Yoruba)
- Gemade (Tiv)
- George
- Gidado (Fulani)
- Goni (Kanuri)
- Gowon (Ngas)
- Gumel (Hausa and Fulani)
- Gusau (Hausa and Fulani)
- Gwarzo (Hausa and Fulani)
- Gyang (Berom)
H: 5 names
- Hadejia (Hausa and Fulani)
- Haruna
- Hassan
- Henshaw (Efik)
- Horsfall (Ijaw)
I: 29 names
- Ibanga (Efik and Ibibio)
- Ibe (Igbo)
- Ibekwe (Igbo)
- Ibiam (Igbo)
- Ibidapo (Yoruba)
- Ibrahim
- Ibru (Urhobo)
- Idachaba (Igala)
- Idahosa (Edo)
- Idakwo (Igala)
- Idowu (Yoruba)
- Idris
- Igali (Ijaw)
- Igbinedion (Edo)
- Igbinovia (Edo)
- Ige (Yoruba)
- Ighodalo (Esan)
- Ighodaro (Edo)
- Igwe (Igbo)
- Ike (Igbo)
- Ikime (Isoko)
- Ikimi (Esan)
- Ikoku (Igbo)
- Inuwa (Hausa)
- Inyang (Efik and Ibibio)
- Iroegbu (Igbo)
- Ishola (Yoruba)
- Iwu (Igbo)
- Iyamu (Edo)
J: 11 names
- Jaiyeola (Yoruba)
- Jaja (Ijaw)
- Jang (Berom)
- Jatau (Hausa)
- Jauro (Fulani)
- Jega (Hausa and Fulani)
- Jime (Tiv)
- Jiya (Nupe)
- Johnson
- Jolaoso (Yoruba)
- Jumbo (Ijaw)
K: 12 names
- Kachalla (Kanuri)
- Kalu (Igbo)
- Kanu (Igbo)
- Kazaure (Hausa and Fulani)
- Kobani (Ogoni)
- Kolawole (Yoruba)
- Kuforiji (Yoruba)
- Kujore (Yoruba)
- Kukoyi (Yoruba)
- Kuti (Yoruba)
- Kwankwaso (Hausa and Fulani)
- Kyari (Kanuri)
L: 12 names
- Ladoja (Yoruba)
- Lamido (Fulani)
- Laniyan (Yoruba)
- Lanlehin (Yoruba)
- Laoye (Yoruba)
- Lar (Tarok)
- Lasisi (Yoruba)
- Lawal
- Lawanson (Yoruba)
- Layiwola (Yoruba)
- Lekwot (Atyap)
- Lokpobiri (Ijaw)
M: 30 names
- Mabiaku (Itsekiri)
- Mabogunje (Yoruba)
- Macaulay (Saro, Lagos)
- Madaki (Hausa)
- Maduka (Igbo)
- Magaji (Hausa)
- Maigari (Hausa)
- Maikudi (Hausa)
- Maitama (Hausa)
- Makama (Hausa)
- Makinde (Yoruba)
- Malu (Tiv)
- Mamman (Hausa)
- Marinho (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- Martins (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- Mbachu (Igbo)
- Mbadiwe (Igbo)
- Mbah (Igbo)
- Mbakwe (Igbo)
- Mimiko (Yoruba)
- Mitee (Ogoni)
- Modibbo (Fulani)
- Modu (Kanuri)
- Moghalu (Igbo)
- Mohammed
- Momoh (Etsako)
- Monguno (Kanuri)
- Mukoro (Urhobo)
- Musa
- Mustapha
N: 23 names
- Ndagi (Nupe)
- Ndako (Nupe)
- Ndanusa (Nupe)
- Ndayako (Nupe)
- Ndukwe (Igbo)
- Nebo (Igbo)
- Ngige (Igbo)
- Njoku (Igbo)
- Nkanga (Efik and Ibibio)
- Nnaji (Igbo)
- Nwadike (Igbo)
- Nwafor (Igbo)
- Nwapa (Igbo)
- Nwigwe (Igbo)
- Nwobodo (Igbo)
- Nwodo (Igbo)
- Nwogu (Igbo)
- Nwokedi (Igbo)
- Nwokolo (Igbo)
- Nwosu (Igbo)
- Nwoye (Igbo)
- Nyako (Fulani)
- Nzeribe (Igbo)
O: 100 names
- Obaje (Igala)
- Obande (Idoma)
- Obasanjo (Yoruba)
- Obaseki (Edo)
- Obasi (Igbo)
- Obi (Igbo)
- Obidike (Igbo)
- Obiefuna (Igbo)
- Oborevwori (Urhobo)
- Ochefu (Idoma)
- Ocheja (Igala)
- Ocholi (Igala)
- Odeh (Idoma)
- Odigie (Edo)
- Ofodile (Igbo)
- Ofoegbu (Igbo)
- Ogbeh (Idoma)
- Ogbeide (Edo)
- Ogbemudia (Edo)
- Ogbonna (Igbo)
- Ogboru (Urhobo)
- Ogunbodede (Yoruba)
- Ogundeji (Yoruba)
- Ogundoyin (Yoruba)
- Ogunlewe (Yoruba)
- Ogunleye (Yoruba)
- Ogunsuyi (Yoruba)
- Oguntimehin (Yoruba)
- Oguntoye (Yoruba)
- Ogunwusi (Yoruba)
- Ogwuche (Idoma)
- Ohakim (Igbo)
- Ohiare (Ebira)
O, continued
- Ojiako (Igbo)
- Ojo (Yoruba)
- Ojora (Yoruba)
- Ojukwu (Igbo)
- Okafor (Igbo)
- Okara (Ijaw)
- Okeke (Igbo)
- Okereke (Igbo)
- Okigbo (Igbo)
- Okojie (Esan)
- Okolie (Igbo)
- Okolo (Igbo)
- Okon (Efik and Ibibio)
- Okonjo (Igbo)
- Okonkwo (Igbo)
- Okorocha (Igbo)
- Okoye (Igbo)
- Okpako (Urhobo)
- Okumagba (Urhobo)
- Okungbowa (Edo)
- Okwuosa (Igbo)
- Oladele (Yoruba)
- Oladipo (Yoruba)
- Oladosu (Yoruba)
- Olaiya (Yoruba)
- Olanrewaju (Yoruba)
- Olaoye (Yoruba)
- Olawale (Yoruba)
- Olomola (Yoruba)
- Olorunfemi (Yoruba)
- Omale (Igala)
- Omatseye (Itsekiri)
- Omoigui (Edo)
O, continued
- Omojola (Yoruba)
- Omololu (Yoruba)
- Omoregie (Edo)
- Omorodion (Edo)
- Omoruyi (Edo)
- Oni (Yoruba)
- Onobrakpeya (Urhobo)
- Onoh (Igbo)
- Onoja (Idoma)
- Onuoha (Igbo)
- Onwudiwe (Igbo)
- Onwuka (Igbo)
- Onyeama (Igbo)
- Opaluwa (Igala)
- Opara (Igbo)
- Oritsejafor (Itsekiri)
- Orji (Igbo)
- Orkar (Tiv)
- Orok (Efik)
- Ortom (Tiv)
- Osaghae (Edo)
- Osagie (Edo)
- Osemwengie (Edo)
- Oshiomhole (Etsako)
- Oshodi (Yoruba)
- Osinbajo (Yoruba)
- Osuji (Igbo)
- Oyedepo (Yoruba)
- Oyekan (Yoruba)
- Oyelowo (Yoruba)
- Oyetola (Yoruba)
- Oyinloye (Yoruba)
- Oyovbaire (Urhobo)
- Ozigbo (Igbo)
P: 8 names
- Pam (Berom)
- Pearse (Saro, Lagos)
- Pedro (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- Pepple (Ijaw)
- Pereira (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- Peterside (Ijaw)
- Popoola (Yoruba)
- Princewill (Ijaw)
R: 4 names
- Randle (Saro, Lagos)
- Rewane (Itsekiri)
- Ribadu (Fulani)
- Ringim (Hausa and Fulani)
S: 18 names
- Sagay (Itsekiri)
- Salvador (Brazilian returnee, Lagos)
- Sani
- Sanusi
- Savage (Saro, Lagos)
- Shagari (Hausa and Fulani)
- Shagaya (Tarok)
- Shehu
- Shettima (Kanuri)
- Shinkafi (Hausa and Fulani)
- Sijuwade (Yoruba)
- Soetan (Yoruba)
- Somefun (Yoruba)
- Sonaike (Yoruba)
- Soyinka (Yoruba)
- Suleiman
- Suswam (Tiv)
- Sylva (Ijaw)
T: 13 names
- Tambuwal (Hausa and Fulani)
- Tamuno (Ijaw)
- Tanko (Hausa)
- Tarka (Tiv)
- Tella (Yoruba)
- Thomas
- Tijani
- Tinubu (Yoruba)
- Torkula (Tiv)
- Tsado (Nupe)
- Tsav (Tiv)
- Tukur (Fulani)
- Turaki (Hausa)
U: 28 names
- Ubah (Igbo)
- Uchendu (Igbo)
- Udeh (Igbo)
- Udo (Efik and Ibibio)
- Udofia (Efik and Ibibio)
- Udom (Efik and Ibibio)
- Udoma (Efik and Ibibio)
- Uduaghan (Itsekiri)
- Ugwu (Igbo)
- Ukaegbu (Igbo)
- Ukiwe (Igbo)
- Ukpong (Efik and Ibibio)
- Umahi (Igbo)
- Umana (Efik and Ibibio)
- Umar
- Umeh (Igbo)
- Umoh (Efik and Ibibio)
- Umoren (Efik and Ibibio)
- Unongo (Tiv)
- Useni (Tarok)
- Usman
- Usoro (Efik and Ibibio)
- Utomi (Igbo)
- Uwaifo (Edo)
- Uwazurike (Igbo)
- Uzodinma (Igbo)
- Uzoma (Igbo)
- Uzor (Igbo)
W: 5 names
- Wada (Hausa)
- Wakili (Hausa)
- Wamakko (Hausa and Fulani)
- Waziri (Hausa)
- Williams
Y: 6 names
- Yahaya
- Yakubu
- Yar'Adua (Fulani)
- Yaro (Hausa)
- Yisa (Nupe)
- Yusuf