About surnames in Nigeria
Nigerian given names are frequently chosen for their direct, literal meaning rather than for how they sound — names like Praise, Miracle, and Blessing are commonly used as a family's genuine, deliberate statement about the circumstances or hopes surrounding a child's birth, not unusual or invented choices the way they might read in some other countries. With over 250 ethnic groups in the country, including large Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa communities, naming ceremonies and conventions also vary significantly by ethnic and religious background — a Yoruba naming ceremony traditionally takes place on the child's seventh or eighth day of life and involves the whole extended family, while other ethnic groups follow their own distinct timing and rituals. Many Nigerian names are also compound words in the family's native language, carrying a small sentence's worth of meaning packed into a single given name.
Surnames from Nigeria
Below is a list of common surnames found in Nigeria, each with its own dedicated tracing worksheet.
Printing tips
These Nigeria surname worksheets print cleanly on standard letter-size paper in black and white, so no color ink is needed.
Using a Nigeria surname worksheet
Print the worksheet at full size and have the child say the surname aloud before and after tracing it — pairing the spoken name with the written form helps an unfamiliar spelling pattern stick faster than tracing alone.
Pairing a Nigeria surname with a first name
Many families practice a surname from Nigeria alongside the matching first names popular in Nigeria on this site, building toward a child's complete full name rather than treating first and last names as unrelated exercises.