Masai

Masai is associated with the name of the Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania. The ethnonym is connected with speaking Maa, although Maa-speaking communities have distinct identities and should not all be treated as one undifferentiated group. This specific East African context is more informative than labeling the name simply “African.”

Basketball executive Masai Ujiri and athlete Masai Russell are contemporary bearers of the personal name. Their names illustrate its use outside a single community, but do not establish the reason every family chooses it. Masai as a given name should be distinguished from a statement of the bearer's ethnicity. The cultural reference is the people and language, rather than a generic meaning such as warrior or strength.