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{{Infobox given name
| name = Afia
| image=
| imagesize=
| caption=
| pronunciation=
| gender = Female
| meaning = born on a Friday
| region = {{Flag|Ashanti}}<br/>[[Empire of Ashanti]]
| origin = [[Ashanti people]]
| related names = [[Kofi]]
* [[Adwoa]] (Monday)
* [[Abena]] (Tuesday)
* [[Akua]] (Wednesday)
* [[Yaa (name)|Yaa]] (Thursday)
* Afia (Friday)
* [[Ama (given name)|Ama]] (Saturday)
* [[Akosua]] (Sunday)
| footnotes =
|wikt=
}}
'''Afia''' is an [[Akan people|Akan]] female given name among the [[Akan people]] (i.e. [[Ashanti people|Ashanti]], [[Akuapem people|Akuapem]], [[Akyem]], [[Fante people|Fante]]) in [[Ghana]] that means "born on Friday" in [[Asante dialect|Akan language]], following their [[Akan names|day naming system]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239815297|first=Kofi |last=Kofi Agyekum|date=January 2006|access-date=2021-04-06|website=ResearchGate|language=en}}</ref> People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics, or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Afia has the appellation <nowiki>''Baafi'', ''Nkosuo'', which means "wanderer" or "traveller"</nowiki>.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Kamunya|first=Mercy|date=2018-10-19|title=Akan names and their meanings|url=https://yen.com.gh/115080-akan-names-meanings.html|access-date=2021-04-06|website=Yen.com.gh - Ghana news.|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=2019-11-09|title='Day born names' in Dagbani, Ewe and Fante|url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Day-born-names-in-Dagbani-Ewe-and-Fante-797733|access-date=2021-04-06|website=GhanaWeb|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Akan Day Names and Their Embedded Ancient Symbolism|url=https://www.modernghana.com/lifestyle/8691/the-akan-day-names-and-their-embedded-ancient-symb.html|first=Vanessa|last=Danso|access-date=2021-04-06|website=Modern Ghana|language=en}}</ref>
== Origin and meaning ==
In the [[Akan language|Akan]] culture, day names are known to be derived from deities. Afia originates from Kwaofida, which means "Lord of life's home day".<ref name=":0" /> Those with this name are adventurers and indecisive, thus taking time to settle,<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Konadu|first=Kwasi|date=2012|title=The Calendrical Factor in Akan History|url=|journal=International Journal of African Historical Studies|doi=10.21303/978-617-7319-30-5}}</ref>&nbsp; and are highly motivated and competent.<ref name=":3" />
== Female variant of Afia ==
Day names in [[Ghana]] have varying spellings, because of the various Akan subgroups. Each Akan subgroup has a similar or different spelling for the day name to other [[Akan language|Akan]] subgroups. Afia is spelt thus by the [[Akuapem dialect|Akuapem]] and Ashanti subgroups, while the [[Fante dialect|Fante]] subgroup and spell it as Efua and Afua.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
== Male version of Afia ==
In the Akan culture and other local cultures in [[Ghana]], day names come in pairs for males and females.<ref name=":0" /> The variant of the name used for a male child born on Friday is [[Kofi]], Fiifi and Fi.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
== Notable people called Afia ==
Most Ghanaian children have their cultural day names in combination with their English or Christian names. Some notable people with such names are:
* [[Afia Charles]] (born 1992), sprinter representing Antigua and Barbuda
* [[Afia Masood]], fictional character in ''EastEnders''
* [[Afia Nathaniel]] (born before 1991), Pakistani filmmaker
* [[Afia Pokua]], Ghanaian media personality, known professionally as Vim Lady
* [[Afia Salam]], Pakistani journalist and media development specialist
* [[Afia Siddiqui]] (born 1972), Pakistani neuroscientist, convicted in a U.S. court of attempted murder and other offenses
* [[Afia Schwarzenegger]] (born 1982), Ghanaian media personality
* [[Afia Amankwaah Tamakloe]], Ghanaian television and radio personality, journalist, and health advocate
* [[Moshik Afia]] (born 1974), Israeli singer
*[[Nura Afia]] (born 1993), a beauty vlogger
== References ==
<references />
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