Comorian names almost all come from Arabic, but they passed through a Bantu language on the way, and came out transformed. Muhammad becomes Mmadi there, Ahmad becomes Ahamada, Fatima becomes Fatouma. Here are 40 names from the four islands, the logic behind these adaptations, and two Comorian titles, one of which ended up in Marseille slang.
One island language, four variants
Shikomori, literally “the language of the Comoros,” is a Bantu language close to Swahili, heavily enriched with Arabic. It comes in four variants, one per island.
| Island | Variant |
|---|---|
| Grande Comore, or Ngazidja | ShiNgazidja |
| Anjouan, or Ndzuani | ShiNzouani |
| Mohéli, or Mwali | ShiMwali |
| Mayotte, or Maoré | ShiMaoré |
This dual origin, Bantu and Arabic, explains the whole repertoire: the core of the names is Muslim, but the pronunciation is African. Shikomori doesn't like consonant clusters or abrupt endings, so it adds vowels and softens the openings.
How an Arabic name becomes Comorian
This is the most interesting feature of the repertoire, and the one that throws people off when they don't know it. The same name can seem unrecognizable.
| Arabic form | Comorian form |
|---|---|
| Muhammad | Mmadi, Mhamadi |
| Ahmad | Ahamada |
| Abu Bakr | Bacar |
| Salih | Soilihi |
| Husayn | Ousseni |
| Fatima | Fatouma |
| Aicha | Moinaecha |
| Abdallah | Abdallah, Abdou |
| Uthman | Athoumani |
| Zuhra | Zouhoura |
The rule is constant: vowels are added to break up consonant clusters, and the name often ends on an open vowel. Ahmad, unpronounceable as is in Shikomori, becomes Ahamada.
Mzé and Moina, the two Comorian titles
Mzé means “man,” and originally “elderly man.” It is a mark of respect, the equivalent of a “mister” placed before the name. The word has had an unexpected fate: carried by the Comorian diaspora, it entered Marseille slang, where “mzé” is commonly used to address someone.
Moina is its feminine equivalent, “lady.” It is even more visible because it has been fused with entire names: Moinaecha is nothing other than “lady Aïcha,” Moinafatima “lady Fatima.”
These two particles explain the length of some Comorian names, which seem complex when they simply stack a title and a familiar name.
40 Comorian names
For a boy
Mmadi, Ahamada, Bacar, Soilihi, Ousseni, Athoumani, Abdou, Abdallah, Ali, Saïd, Youssouf, Ibrahim, Hamada, Assoumani, Ismaël, Nassur, Toihir, Djaffar, Anssoufouddine, Ikililou.
For a girl
Fatouma, Moinaecha, Zouhoura, Halima, Hadidja, Zainaba, Maoulida, Rahamatou, Sitti, Nourou, Mariama, Salima, Chamsia, Naïma, Anfia, Roukia, Zalia, Amina, Soifia, Raïssa.
The ones that sound most Comorian
- Soilihi: borne by Ali Soilih, a political figure of the islands, instantly identifiable.
- Ahamada: the Comorian form of Ahmad, with its four characteristic syllables.
- Moinaecha: the title fused to the name, impossible to mistake.
- Sitti: short, also used as a feminine title of respect.
- Mmadi: the most radical contraction of Muhammad.
Mayotte, a special case
Because Mayotte is a French département, civil registration there followed different rules from the other three islands. Many Mahoran families only obtained a fixed family name late, through a civil registry revision commission.
A consequence still visible today: members of the same family may bear different surnames, and some traditional first names were registered as family names. It is the same mechanism as in Cameroon, a century apart.
The ones that fit best in France
- Amina: universal, no difficulty.
- Salima: gentle, transparent in writing.
- Saïd: short, already well known in France.
- Naïma: perfectly established, never misspelled.
- Ali: three letters, worn everywhere.
Worth anticipating: Anssoufouddine and Moinaecha, magnificent but they will need to be spelled out for a lifetime, and Mmadi, whose initial double M doesn't exist in French.
For the Arabic names from which most of these derive, see our Arabic boy names, and to broaden the scope to Africa, our guide to African girl names.
Frequently asked questions
Are Comorian names Arabic?
The vast majority come from Arabic, but they have been adapted to the phonetics of Shikomori, a Bantu language close to Swahili. Muhammad becomes Mmadi, Ahmad becomes Ahamada, Fatima becomes Fatouma.
What does Moina mean in a Comorian name?
Moina means “lady.” It is a title of respect fused to the name: Moinaecha is literally “lady Aïcha.” Its masculine equivalent is Mzé, which means “man.”
Where does the word mzé used in Marseille come from?
From Comorian, where it means “man,” originally “elderly man.” The Comorian diaspora, very well established in Marseille, brought it into local slang.
Are the names the same on all four islands?
The core is shared, but each island has its own variant of Shikomori and therefore its own pronunciation preferences. Mayotte also stands out with its own civil registration history, tied to its French status.
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