Afra

This name derives, along with its variants, from the Latin surnames Afer and Afre, Africus, Africa, African, and Africanus, relating to ethnic origin, meaning “native to Africa, African.” They became personal names in imperial times. Afri was a Latin name used to refer to the Carthaginians who dwelt in North Africa in modern-day Tunisia. Their name is usually connected with Phoenician “afar” (dust), but a 1981 hypothesis has asserted that it stems from the Berber “ifri (plural ifran)” (cave), about cave dwellers. 1) Saint Afra († 304) was a Christian martyr and a saint of Augsburg. In the late 3rd-century, her pagan family journeyed from Cyprus to Augsburg. Afra was dedicated to the service of the goddess Venus by her mother, Hilaria. Her feast day is August 5. 2) Scipio Africanus (235–183 BC) was a Roman general and later consul who is often regarded as one of the best military commanders and strategists of all time.