| Abena | |
| Gender: | Female |
| Meaning: | born on a Tuesday |
| Region: | Empire of Ashanti |
| Origin: | Akan people |
| Related Names: | |
Abena is an Indian (Gujarati) surname; the Gujarati અબેના (Abēnā) possibly came from the Arabic name أبين (Abyan). As a given name, it is a girl's name of Ghanaian origin and means born on Tuesday.[1] Day names are a cultural practice of the Akan people of Ghana. Although some might believe it is mostly practised by Ashanti people, it is actually practised by all Akan (i.e. all the various Akan subgroups) people who follow traditional customs. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Abena has the appellation Kosia or Nimo, meaning friendliness. Thus, females named Abena are supposed to be friendly.[2]
In the Akan culture, day names are known to be derived from deities. Abena is originated from Koyabenada and from the Lord of Life's Land deity of the day Tuesday.[3] Females born on Tuesday tend to be nurturing and achieve a balance between strength and compassion.
Day names in Ghana have varying spellings, because of the various Akan subgroups. Each Akan subgroup has a similar or different spelling for the day name to other Akan subgroups.[4] [5] The spelling Abena is used by the Akuapem, Ashanti and Fante subgroups.
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 male child born on Tuesday is Kwabena.