Given name
Bwana
“a gentleman”
Bwana is used as a given name. One interpretation is “a gentleman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “a gentleman.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1972. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bwana through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1972
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1972. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Bwana, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Abasi
“one who is stern”
>99% boys
Khamisi
“born on a Thursday”
>99% boys
Daren
“one who is born at night”
>99% boys
Shomari
Shomari is a masculine given name from Swahili.
>99% boys
Taariq
“resembling the morning star”
>99% boys
Zaka
“one who is pure; chaste”
87% boys · 13% girls
Brant
“a fiery torch” · “one who wields a sword”
>99% boys
Zabu
Zabu is a masculine given name from Swahili.
>99% boys