At a Glance
- Meaning
- The Great Spirit / supreme being (a religious and mythological term for sacred power)
- Origin
- Siouan (Omaha-Ponca, Osage, Ponca, Caddo)
- Pronunciation
- wah-KAHN-dah
Wakanda is a Siouan (Omaha-Ponca, Osage, Ponca, Caddo) name meaning “the Great Spirit / supreme being (a religious and mythological term for sacred power)”. It appears in our list of 200+ Native American Baby Names Honoring Indigenous Heritage.
Meaning & Origin of Wakanda
Meaning: The Great Spirit / supreme being (a religious and mythological term for sacred power).
Origin: Siouan (Omaha-Ponca, Osage, Ponca, Caddo).
A common claim: Best known today as the name of the fictional African nation in Marvel's Black Panther; baby-name sites often gloss it as meaning 'possesses magical power.' Actually: The real word is a Siouan religious term for the Great Spirit/supreme being, not literally a phrase meaning 'possesses magical power' -- that's a loose paraphrase, and most people encountering the name today know it from the Marvel movie rather than Siouan tradition.
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Wakanda
wah-KAHN-dahIPA /wəˈkɑːndə/
Popularity of Wakanda
Wakanda doesn’t appear in U.S. Social Security birth records, which include every name given to at least five babies in a year — so it’s rare in the U.S.
Lists That Include Wakanda
Similar Names
Winona · Tate · Wakinyan · Wanbli · Wapi · Wachiwi
