Yaw is a masculine given name originating from the
Akan people and their
day naming system, meaning born on a Thursday in
Akan language, 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, day names are known to be derived from deities. Yaw originated from Yawoada the Day of Reproduction.
Males 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 vary in spelling among the various Akan subgroups. The name is spelt Yaw by the Akuapem, Ashanti and Fante subgroups.
[{{Cite web, date=2019-11-09, title='Day born names' in Dagbani, Ewe and Fante, url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Day-born-names-in-Dagbani-Ewe-and-Fante-797733, access-date=2021-04-07, website=GhanaWeb, language=en]
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 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:
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Yaw Antwi (born 1985), Ghanaian footballer playing in Serbia
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Yaw Amankwah Mireku
Yaw Amankwah Mireku (born 25 November 1979) is a Ghanaian former professional association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. He was part of the 64 battalion team of Hearts of Oak the won the 2000 CAF Champions League and 2004 CAF C ...
(born 1979), Ghanaian footballer
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Yaw Asante (born 1991), Ghanaian footballer playing in Italy
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Yaw Berko (born 1980), Ghanaian footballer playing in Tanzania
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Yaw Danso (born 1989), Ghanaian footballer playing in Puerto Rico
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Yaw Fosu-Amoah (born 1981), South African long jumper
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Yaw Frimpong (born 1986), Ghanaian footballer playing in Congo
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Yaw Ihle Amankwah (born 1988), Ghanaian footballer playing in Norway
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Yaw Osafo-Marfo, (born 1942) Ghanaian politician and former minister for Education and Finance
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Yaw Osene-Akwah (born 1984), Ghanaian youth activist, founding member of Okyeman Youth Association and Okyeman Youth for Development, comes from Akyem Apedwa
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Yaw Preko (born 1974), Ghanaian former international footballer
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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 an ...
, Ghanaian rapper
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George Yaw Boakye (1937–1979), Ghanaian airman and politician
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Eugene Yaw (born 1943), American politician
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Joachim Yaw
Joachim Yaw Acheampong (born 2 November 1973 in Accra), known as Yaw, is a Ghanaian retired footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
In his country Yaw represented Goldfields Obuasi (1990–94), Power FC (1999–2000) and King Fai ...
(born 1973), Ghanaian former international footballer and Olympic medalist
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Lawrence Henry Yaw Ofosu-Appiah (1920–1990), Ghanaian academic and director of the ''Encyclopedia Africana''
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Nana Yaw Konadu Yeboah (born 1964), Ghanaian boxer and former world champion
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Nicholas Yaw Boafo Adade, Ghanaian former supreme court judge
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Paul Yaw Addo (born 1990), Ghanaian footballer playing in Norway
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Samuel Yaw Adusei, Ghanaian politician
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William Yaw Obeng (born 1983), Ghanaian former American football offensive lineman
See also
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Rao (Chinese surname)
Rao () is a Chinese family name. It can also be spelled as "Yow" or "Yaw".
The surname Rao is approximately 2200 years old, and originated in the area near present-day Linfen county in Shanxi province.
It is the 181st most common name being share ...
, sometimes transliterated as Yaw
References
Akan given names
Masculine given names