Yaw is a masculine given name originating from 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 ...
and their
day naming system, meaning "born on a Thursday" in
Akan language
Akan (), or Twi-Fante, is the most populous language of Ghana, and the principal native language of the Akan people, spoken over much of the southern half of Ghana. About 80% of Ghana's population speak Akan as a first or second language, and ...
, following their
day naming system.
People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Yaw has the appellation "Preko" or "Opereba" meaning brave.
Origin and meaning of Yaw
In the
Akan culture
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
, day names are known to be derived from deities. Yaw originated from Yawoada the Day of Reproduction.
Males
Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...
named Yaw are known to be courageous and aggressive in a warlike manner (preko). They tend to be guarded,
judgemental and appear to be ungrateful.
Male variants of Yaw
Day names in
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 ...
vary in spelling among the various Akan subgroups. The name is spelt Yaw by the
Akuapem,
Ashanti,
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Fante subgroups.
[{{Cite web , title=The sociolinguistic of Akan personal names , url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239815297 , website=Researchgate , page=214]
Female version of Yaw
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 female child born on
Thursday
Thursday is the day of the week between Wednesday and Friday. According to the ISO 8601 international standard, it is the fourth day of the week. In countries which adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is the fifth day of the week.
Name
Th ...
is
Yaa.
Notable people with the name
Most Ghanaian children have their cultural day names in combination with their English or Christian names. Some notable people with such names are:
*
Yaw Antwi (born 1985), Ghanaian footballer playing in
Serbia
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*
Yaw Amankwah Mireku (born 1979), Ghanaian footballer
*
Yaw Asante (born 1991), Ghanaian footballer playing in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
*
Yaw Berko (born 1980), Ghanaian footballer playing in
Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
*
Yaw Fosu-Amoah (born 1981),
South African long jumper
*
Yaw Frimpong (born 1986), Ghanaian footballer playing in
Congo
*
Yaw Ihle Amankwah (born 1988), Ghanaian footballer playing in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
*
Yaw Osafo-Marfo, (born 1942) Ghanaian politician and former minister for
Education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
and Finance
*
Yaw Osene-Akwah (born 1984), Ghanaian youth activist, founding member of Okyeman Youth Association and Okyeman Youth for Development, comes from Akyem Apedwa
*
Yaw Preko (born 1974), Ghanaian former international footballer
*
Yaw Tog
Thorsten Owusu Gyimah (born 8 May 2003), popularly known as Yaw Tog, is a Ghanaian rapper who majors in drill music, known in Ghana as ''Asakaa''. He is best known for his viral song "Sore" which featured O'Kenneth, City Boy, Reggies & Jay Bahd a ...
(born 2003), Ghanaian rapper
*
George Yaw Boakye (1937–1979), Ghanaian airman and politician
*
Eugene Yaw (born 1943), American politician
*
Joachim Yaw
Joachim Yaw Acheampong (born 2 November 1973 in Accra), known as Yaw, is a Ghanaian retired Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
In his country Yaw represented Ashanti Gold SC, Goldfields Obuasi (1990–94), ...
(born 1973), Ghanaian former international footballer and
Olympic medalist
*
Lawrence Henry Yaw Ofosu-Appiah (1920–1990), Ghanaian academic and director of the ''
Encyclopedia Africana
''Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African-American Experience'' edited by Henry Louis Gates and
Anthony Appiah ( Basic Civitas Books 1999, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2005, ) is a compendium of Africana studies including A ...
''
*
Nana Yaw Konadu Yeboah (born 1964), Ghanaian boxer and former world champion
*
Nicholas Yaw Boafo Adade (1927–2013), Ghanaian former
supreme court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
judge
*
Paul Yaw Addo (born 1990), Ghanaian footballer playing in Norway
*
Samuel Yaw Adusei
Samuel Yaw Adusei is a Ghanaian politician and Entrepreneur. He is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party. He is the former Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister of Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a countr ...
, Ghanaian politician
*
William Yaw Obeng (born 1983), Ghanaian former
American football offensive lineman
See also
*
Rao (Chinese surname), sometimes transliterated as Yaw
References
Akan given names
Masculine given names