Why this exists
Nigerian names carry meaning, history, and a sound that doesn't survive a Latin spelling. Olú, Adé, Ngọzi, Aishat. Each has a pronunciation that an Anglicised guess can't reach. This dictionary exists so anyone can hear how a name is said by someone who grew up saying it, learn what it means in the language it came from, and know the people who carry it.
It started as a YouTube channel publishing branded pronunciation videos. The website is the open, searchable version of that work, a place every Nigerian name can have a permanent home.
How the audio is sourced
Every audio clip is either recorded by the project owner, a Nigerian native speaker, or submitted by the community directly. We don't scrape audio from other sites, even when the licence would technically allow it, because pronunciation is a personal contribution, not a content asset to harvest. If a name doesn't have audio yet, we surface a clear “Submit a pronunciation” button and credit every contributor.
Where the meanings come from
Meanings are merged from multiple sources for each name: user-approved curation, Wikipedia / Wikidata, Nigerian community sites, and VOA's pronunciation index for spelling cross-references. When sources conflict on a meaning, we flag the entry for review rather than picking one silently.
What we don't do
- We never call a Nigerian name exotic.
- We never declare a name “masculine” or “feminine” from editorial authority. Gender perception is community-voted and labelled as such.
- We never expose contributor data without consent. Audio submissions are credited only with the name you give us.