Xhosa Surnames & Their Meanings
Xhosa surnames and clan names with their origins and meanings. · 37 surnames · indicative and sometimes contested
XhosaBalaXhosa surname meaning "colour.".→XhosaBheleXhosa clan name said to derive from the Mbhele River; divides into sub-clans.→XhosaBhuleXhosa surname meaning "handsome".→XhosaBikoXhosa surname; borne by activist Steve Biko.→XhosaDlomoA senior Xhosa/Thembu clan name associated with leadership.→XhosaFakuClan/royal name of the amaMpondo (Nyawuza line).→XhosaGcalekaOne of two major Xhosa royal houses, descendants of King Phalo.→XhosaGqiraXhosa clan name; the word means traditional healer/diviner.→XhosaHintsa13th Xhosa king who led resistance to colonial expansion.→XhosaJwarhaA documented Xhosa clan name (isiduko).→XhosaKhiwaDocumented as an amaMpondo clan name.→XhosaLangaAn Nguni clan name meaning "sun".→XhosaMadibaXhosa clan name (isiduko) of abaThembu royalty; Nelson Mandela's clan.→XhosaMadikizelaXhosa surname documented to mean "brave.".→XhosaMajolaA Xhosa clan name (Mpondomise; snake totem).→XhosaMakebaXhosa surname documented to mean "precious jewel.".→XhosaMandelaXhosa surname; commonly glossed as "gift of God".→XhosaMapelaClan name from the Xhosa word for cockroach, denoting great wealth.→XhosaMaqomaXhosa name of the military commander in the Frontier Wars.→XhosaMbekiXhosa surname borne by former president Thabo Mbeki.→XhosaMjoliA documented Xhosa clan name (isiduko).→XhosaMpingaXhosa clan, home of Enoch Sontonga, composer of Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika.→XhosaMtiraraA prominent house of the abaThembu people.→XhosaNdlelaXhosa surname meaning "road.".→XhosaNduganeXhosa surname documented to mean "strength.".→XhosaNdunaXhosa surname meaning "headman.".→XhosaNgubengcukaThembu king who united the nation; ancestor of Nelson Mandela.→XhosaNyawuzaThe ruling clan name of the amaMpondo, chiefs included Faku.→XhosaPhalo18th-century paramount chief of the amaXhosa kingdom.→XhosaQwathiamaQwathi, an independent Xhosa-speaking nation in the Eastern Cape.→XhosaRharhabeSecond major Xhosa royal house, named after King Rharhabe.→XhosaSandileXhosa name documented to mean "we increased.".→XhosaSithathuMeans "third"; the third Khoikhoi-ancestry clan.→XhosaSukwiniXhosa clan of Khoi-Khoi ancestry.→XhosaThamsanqaXhosa surname meaning "good luck.".→XhosaTshaweThe royal ruling house of the amaXhosa, descended from King Phalo.→XhosaZwelinzimaXhosa surname meaning "difficult world.".→