This book was written for people of all ages. Parents will use the book to find names for their children, but any individual of any age can take an African name to substitute for or add to his given name. Students in Black Studies programs may want to adopt a name that is meaningful to them. The author undertook this collection as a result of numerous inquiries for African names from many people in all walks of life who were interested in using them for themselves, their children, and their friends. The giving of names is of great importance in Africa. People are named after events, happenings, great things, the days of the week, or the order in which they were born. For example, if the couple had long wanted a son, in Nigeria they may call him "Ayinde" (Yoruba) meaning "the one we prayed for". In Ghana, if a boy is born on Saturday, he is called "Kwame" (Akan). In Tanzania, the second born of twins will be called "Doto" (Zaramo). People ask whether names like James, Gary, or Frances could be translated into African form. There is no direct translation from English to African names but, if you go back to the original meaning of a name, you can often find an African equivalent. For example, the English "Theodore" and the Ibo "Okechuku" both mean "God"s gift". From the author - "I hope that each individual will find in this book a name to like whose meaning will be appropriate and a good fit."