Kofi: meaning and UK use

What does Kofi mean?

Kofi is an Akan day name connected with Friday. Koffi is a related Ewe form; the cultural context is part of the name's meaning.

Language or name family covered

Akan

Meaning or derivation

Born on Friday

Our browsing group

boy; international, classic

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Kofi

Pronunciation and related forms

We have not verified a pronunciation for this entry. Ask a speaker of the intended language rather than relying on an English spelling alone.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Koffi. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Kofi?

In 2025, 14 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Kofi, making it the 1798th most popular boys’ name. That is down 338 places on 2024, when it ranked 1460th. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 2483rd, so it has climbed 685 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 1998, at 452nd. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

1798th

2025 registrations

14

Best rank in this series

452nd (1998)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Kofi: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	1798	14
2024	1460	18
2023	2161	10
2022	2756	7
2021	1984	11
2020	1825	12
2019	1869	12
2018	1533	16
2017	1923	12
2016	1704	14
2015	2483	8
2014	1281	20
2013	1404	17
2012	1589	15
2011	1158	22
2010	1344	18
2009	1175	21
2008	1048	24
2007	799	33
2006	748	34
2005	705	36
2004	599	40
2003	499	48
2002	586	34
2001	617	30
2000	624	29
1999	563	33
1998	452	46
1997	694	23
1996	938	15

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 672. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Kofi

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Kwameinternational, classic · Born on Saturday
• Arjuninternational, classic · A modern form of Arjuna
• Eliasinternational, classic · A form of Elijah
• Hugoclassic, international · An old German form of Hugh
• Muhammadclassic, international · Praised or commendable
• Roryinternational, classic · An anglicised form of Ruaidhrí

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Kofi, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.