{{Infobox given name | name = Akwasi | image= | imagesize= | caption= | pronunciation= | gender = Male | meaning = born on a Sunday | region = Akan people | origin = Akan people | related names = * Kwadwo (Monday) * Kwabena (Tuesday) * Kwaku (Wednesday) * Yaw (Thursday) * Kofi (Friday) * Kwame (Saturday) * Akwasi (Sunday) | footnotes = |wikt= }} '''Akwasi''' or '''Kwasí''' or '''Kwesi''' is an Akan masculine given name originating from the Akan people and their Akan day naming system, meaning born on a Sunday. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Akwasi has the appellation Bodua or Obueakwan meaning agility.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239815297|access-date=2021-04-06|website=ResearchGate|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Kamunya|first=Mercy|date=2018-10-19|title=Akan names and their meanings|url=https://yen.com.gh/115080-akan-names-meanings.html|access-date=2021-04-06|website=Yen.com.gh - Ghana news.|language=en}}</ref> Thus, males named Akwasi are supposed to be agile by nature.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
== Origin and Meaning == In the Akan culture, day names are known to be derived from deities. Akwasi originated from Koyasi and the Lord of Life Descent deity of the day Sunday.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Konadu|first=Kwasi|date=2012|title=The Calendrical Factor in Akan History|journal=International Journal of African Historical Studies|volume=45|pages=217–246}}</ref> Males named Akwasi are known to be leaders in society and also known to be "clearer of the way" (obue-akwan). They are very inquisitive and tend to be pulled into a thing of interest.<ref name=":3" />
== Male Variants of Akwasi == Day names in Ghana vary in spelling among the various Akan subgroups.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{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=2021-04-06|website=GhanaWeb|language=en}}</ref> The name is spelt Akwasi or Kwasi by the Akuapem, Akyem, Akwamu, Bono and Ashanti subgroups while the Fante subgroup spell it as Kwesi.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The sociolinguistic of Akan personal names |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239815297 |website=Researchgate |page=214}}</ref>
== Female version of Akwasi == 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 Sunday is Akosua.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
== 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: *Akwasi Ampofo Adjei (1947–2004), Ghanaian musician known professionally as Mr. A.A.A. *Akwasi Afrifa (1936–1979), Ghanaian soldier and politician *Akwasi Afrifa (born 1958), Ghanaian politician *Akwasi Dante Afriyie, Ghanaian politician *Akwasi Antwi (born 1985), Canadian football player *Akwasi Asante (born 1992), Dutch footballer *Akwasi Appiah (born 1960), Ghanaian footballer and coach *Akwasi Bretuo Assensoh (born 1946), Ghanaian academic and journalist *Akwasi Boateng (born 1967), Ghanaian politician *Akwasi Evans (1948–2019), American journalist and civil-rights activist *Akwasi Fobi-Edusei (born 1986), English footballer *Akwasi Oppong Fosu (born 1958), Ghanaian politician *Akwasi Frimpong (born 1986), Ghanaian-Dutch runner and bobsledder *Akwasi Konadu (born 1982), Ghanaian politician *Akwasi Addo Alfred Kwarteng (born 1975), British politician *Akwasi Addai Odike (born 1964), Ghanaian businessman and politician *Akwasi Oduro (born 1987), Belgian footballer *Akwasi Osei-Adjei (born 1949), Ghanaian politician *Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (born 1988), American football player *Akwasi Owusu Afrifa-Mensa (born 1971), Ghanaian politician *Akwasi Yeboah (born 1997), British basketball player *Nana Akwasi Asare (born 1986), Ghanaian footballer *Blessing Akwasi Afrifah (born 2003), Israeli sprinter
==See also== *Akwasidae Festival
==References== <references /> {{given name}}
Category:Given names Category:Ashanti given names Category:Akan given names Category:African masculine given names Category:Akan people Category:Sunday