Akwasi

Akwasi
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Ashanti people
Meaning	born on a Sunday
Region of origin	Ashanti; Empire of Ashanti
Other names
Related names	Kwadwo (Monday); Kwabena (Tuesday); Kwaku (Wednesday); Yaw (Thursday); Kofi (Friday); Kwame (Saturday); Akwasi (Sunday);

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]

Origin and Meaning[]

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]

Male Variants of Akwasi[]

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]

Female version of Akwasi[]

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]

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:

Akwasi Addai Odike, Ghanaian businessman and politician
Akwasi Afrifa (1936–1979), Ghanaian soldier and politician
Akwasi Antwi (born 1985), Canadian football defensive lineman
Akwasi Asante (born 1992), Dutch footballer playing in England
Akwasi Appiah (born 1960), Ghanaian football coach of the national team
Akwasi Fobi-Edusei (born 1986), English footballer
Akwasi Frimpong (born 1986), Ghanaian-Dutch runner and bobsledder
Akwasi Mensah (born 1986), Dutch former NFL Europe football player
Akwasi Oduro (born 1987), Belgian footballer
Akwasi Oppong Fosu, Ghanaian Member of Parliament
Akwasi Osei-Adjei (born 1949), Ghanaian Minister for Foreign Affairs
Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (born 1988), American football defensive back
Nana Akwasi Asare (born 1986), Ghanaian footballer playing in Belgium

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c "The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kamunya, Mercy (2018-10-19). "Akan names and their meanings". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
^ ^a ^b Konadu, Kwasi (2012). "The Calendrical Factor in Akan History". International Journal of African Historical Studies. 45: 217–246.
^ ^a ^b "'Day born names' in Dagbani, Ewe and Fante". GhanaWeb. 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2021-04-06.

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[:1-1] "The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-04-06.

[:2-2] Kamunya, Mercy (2018-10-19). "Akan names and their meanings". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2021-04-06.

[:3-3] Konadu, Kwasi (2012). "The Calendrical Factor in Akan History". International Journal of African Historical Studies. 45: 217–246.

[:4-4] "'Day born names' in Dagbani, Ewe and Fante". GhanaWeb. 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2021-04-06.

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