Maasai

Meaning of Maasai

Steeped in the resonant cadence of the Maa language of East Africa, the masculine name Maasai evokes a mosaic of ochre-hued plains and ancestral rites, its syllables rippling across the tongue like dawn light upon the terra firma of the Serengeti. Originating in Swahili usage (pronounced mah-SAH-ee), this appellation belongs to the venerable Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania, whose pastoral legacy and warrior ethos have long engaged scholars of ethnography and onomastic study. Connoting solidarity, courage, and a profound communion with nature, the name weaves an emblematic tapestry that parents invoke as a sine qua non of character formation. In the United States, its measured ascent—fifteen newborns in 2024, ranking 909th—attests to a modest yet sustained appeal, underscoring a transcontinental dialogue between ancestral heritage and modern identity.

Pronunciation

Swahili

• Pronunced as mah-SAH-ee (/maːˈsa.i/)

• Masai