Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Imani

Imani means ‘faith’ in Swahili. Swahili is the indigenous language spoken along the east African coast from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique. A variation of the name, Iman, most famously borne by the Mogadishu (Somalia) native supermodel also comes from Arabic meaning the same (i.e., faith). The name was mainly adopted by African-Americans in the English speaking world.

All About the Baby Name – Imani

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME IMANI

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME IMANI

Imani first appeared on the American female name charts in 1990 and very quickly increased over 600 positions on the charts in five short years. As previously mentioned, Imani is a name most popular among African-Americans given its roots in the Swahili language. It also appears to be geographically favored on the eastern seaboard region rather than the west coast or the southern areas of the United States. Today, the beautiful name Imani maintains moderate levels of usage nationwide. We would consider this a “virtue” name just like Hope, Faith and Charity are in the English language. It’s just a more original way to impart one’s hopeful notions upon their baby daughters. Of course we all have faith in the happy future of our children, why not reinforce that through our naming choices? Imani is a gorgeous name with a lovely meaning. We have ‘faith’ in her continued success on the female naming charts!

Quick Facts

ON IMANI

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

African-American

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

483

PRONUNCIATION:

i-MON-ee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Faith

Characteristics

OF IMANI

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Imani

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME IMANI

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Imani

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME IMANI

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Imani


Popular Songs

ON IMANI

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Imani


Famous People

NAMED IMANI

Imani Coppola (musician)
Imani Hakim (actress)
Imani (rapper)
Imani Lee (boxer, MMA and wrestler)

Children of Famous People

NAMED IMANI

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Imani

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME IMANI

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Imani