Kwame

Kwame is a masculine given name of Akan origin, associated with the Akan day-name naming system used by the Akan people of Ghana and parts of Côte d'Ivoire. The name is traditionally given to boys born on Saturday, linking personal identity to the day of birth. It is commonly used in Ghana and among Ghanaian diaspora communities around the world, and it can appear as a standalone given name or as part of a longer name.

Variants and usage patterns include spellings such as Kwamé or Kwami, with Kwame being the most common in English-speaking contexts. While Kwame is primarily a given name, names of Ghanaian origin may appear in various positions within full names in different cultural settings.

Notable people with the given name Kwame include Kwame Nkrumah (1909–1972), the first Prime Minister and a leading figure in Ghana's independence movement; Kwame Kilpatrick (born 1970), former mayor of Detroit; Kwame Brown (born 1982), American basketball player; Kwame Anthony Appiah (born 1954), philosopher; and Kwame Alexander (born 1971), poet and author. The name remains a recognizable marker of Ghanaian cultural heritage in international contexts.