Adwoa is a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

used for women born on Monday in Western Africa, particularly Ghana and some parts of Togo, southern Benin and Ivory Coast. Day names are a cultural practice of the

Akan people The Akan () people are a kwa languages, Kwa group living primarily in present-day Ghana and in parts of Ivory Coast and Togo in West Africa. The Akan speak languages within the Central Tano languages, Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano la ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

and the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

. It is actually practiced by all Akan (i.e. all the various Akan subgroups) people who follow traditional customs. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Adwoa has the appellation Badwo or Akoto meaning peace. Thus, females named Adwoa are supposed to be peaceful.

Origin and meaning of Adwoa

In the Akan culture, day names are known to be derived from deities. Adwoa is originated from Koyayuda and from the Lord of Life Firmament deity of the day Monday. Females born on Monday are known to be calm, peacemakers and protectors. They tend to be nurturing and achieve a balance between strength and compassion.

Female variants of Adwoa

Day names in Ghana have varying spellings. This is so because of the various Akan subgroups. Each Akan subgroup has a similar or different spelling for the day name to other Akan subgroups. Adwoa is spelt Adwoa by the

Akuapem Akuapem may refer to: * Akuapem people, an ethnic group of Ghana * Akuapem dialect, their language * Akuapem Kingdom Akropong is a town in South Ghana and is the capital of the Akuapim North District, a district in the Eastern Region of South ...

Akwamu The Akwamu Empire was a powerful Akan state that rose to prominence in the 17th century in what is now southeastern Ghana. According to oral tradition, the Akwamu traced their origins to the Twifo-Heman area, but the earliest historical records p ...

Akyem The Akyem Kingdoms (also known as Greater Akyem, Akim, Great Akim, or Akan Grande) were prominent Akan people, Akan kingdoms in precolonial Ghana, consisting of the three related states of Akyem Abuakwa, Akyem Kotoku, and Akyem Bosome. Located in ...

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

and Ashanti subgroups while the Fante subgroup spell it as ''Adjoa'', ''Ajua'', or ''Ajuba''.

Male version of Adwoa

In the Akan culture and other local cultures in Ghana, day names come in pairs for males and females. The variant of the name used for a male child born on Monday '' Kwadwo.''

Notable women named Adwoa

Most Ghanaian children have their cultural names in combination with their English or Christian names. Some notable people with such names are: *

Adwoa Aboah Adwoa Caitlin Maria Aboah (born 18 May 1992) is a British fashion model and actress. In December 2017 she appeared on the cover of British ''Vogue''. She has also been on the cover of '' American Vogue'', ''Vogue Italia'', ''Vogue Poland'', and ...

(born 1992), British model and activist *

Adjoa Andoh Adjoa Aiboom Helen Andoh MBE (; born 14 January 1963) is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Lady Danbury in the Netflix Regency romance series ''Bridgerton'', since 2020. Other roles on television include appearances in two s ...

(born 1963), British actress * Adwoa Smart (born 1971), Ghanaian actress *

Adjoa Bayor Grace Adjoa Bayor (popularly known as Adjoa Bayor, born 17 May 1979) is a Ghanaian former footballer who played as a midfielder. She has captained the Ghana women's national team. International career Bayor was part of the Ghana women's natio ...

(born 1979), Ghanaian footballer *

Adwoa Yamoah Adwoa Yamoah is a Canadian beauty pageant titleholder who placed 1st runner-up at Miss Universe Canada 2012 and represented Canada in the Miss Universe 2012 pageant, replacing Sahar Biniaz who had been named Miss Universe Canada. Pageantry Yam ...

(born 1986), Canadian cheerleader

References

External links

Adjua page
from ''Traces of the Trade'' site {{given name Society of Ghana Akan given names Feminine given names Akan people