The Christening
Rolihlahla
Rolihlahla (pronounced ro-li-hla-hla) is a boy name of Xhosa origin, used in South Africa. It means “The one who pulls the branch — figuratively, the one who shakes up the established order. Nelson Mandela’s birth name.”
- Origin
- Xhosa
- Region
- South Africa
- Gender
- Boy
More names that mean “Figures historiques”
- Aksel — 7th-century Amazigh king (Kusayla); his name is associated with the leopard
- Béhanzin — The last great king of Abomey, who resisted colonial conquest (“the shark king”)
- Dihya — Amazigh warrior queen of the Aurès, 7th century
- Enitan — The one who carries a story
- Gaya — Numidian king, father of Massinissa
- Makeda — The Ethiopian name of the Queen of Sheba
- Mansa — King, sovereign — the title borne by Mansa Musa
- Massinissa — First king of a unified Numidia, 2nd century BC
- Nzinga — Queen of Ndongo and Matamba, a figure of 17th-century resistance
- Pokou — Founding queen of the Baoulé people (18th century), heroine of the sacrifice at the Comoé river
“Rolihlahla” comes from Xhosa culture (South Africa). Every African country has its own tale in 54 Tales of Africa, our illustrated collection.
Discover the tale from South Africa