Yoruba given names are often full lexical compounds that read as short clauses, frequently following a subject–verb–object pattern. Common formative elements include prefixes such as Ade- “crown,” Ola- “wealth,” Ayo- “joy,” Ife- “love,” and Olu-/Oluwa- “lord/God.” Many names reference birth circumstances or family history: Babatunde/Yetunde signal a grandparent’s return; Taiwo and Kehinde are fixed names for twins; abiku-related names like Malomo or Kokumo aim to dissuade repeated infant death. Typical themes include divine agency or praise, joy, prosperity, and lineage or status.
Linguistically, Yoruba favors open syllables (CV), limited consonant clusters, and names that usually end in vowels. Standard orthography uses dotted vowels (ẹ, ọ) and ṣ, with tones often unmarked in everyday writing and in the diaspora. Historical Christian and Islamic influence increased theophoric formations, especially Oluwa- compounds (for example, Oluwaseun, Oluwatobi). Contemporary usage commonly mixes traditional Yoruba given names with English or Arabic secondary names, and omits diacritics in official records.
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sade | Crowned with honor; "honor confers a crown" (short form of Folashade) | Yoruba | Girl | 737 #1 | |
| Ajani | He who wins the struggle; the conqueror | Yoruba | Boy | 653 #2 | |
| Tobi | Diminutive of Tobias (Hebrew: 'God is good'); in Yoruba, 'Tobi' means 'big' or 'great'. | English, Hebrew, Yoruba | Unisex | 322 #3 | |
| Ashe | From Old English 'ash' (tree); in Yoruba Àṣẹ means 'authority/power to make things happen' or 'so be it'. | English, Yoruba | Unisex | 319 #4 | |
| Olan | Varies by origin - in Gaelic an old personal name (possibly linked to Saint Olán); in Yoruba a short form of names beginning with 'Ola-' meaning 'wealth' or 'honor'. | Irish, Yoruba | Boy | 261 #5 | |
| Oshun | Name of the Yoruba river goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, fresh water and wealth | Yoruba | Girl | 224 #6 | |
| Ifeoluwa | God's love | Yoruba | Unisex | 221 #7 | |
| Adeya | Varies by origin: possibly "God's ornament" (Hebrew Adaya) or related to "crown" (from Yoruba Adé); commonly rendered as 'adorned', 'noble', or 'beloved'. | Yoruba | Girl | 211 #8 | |
| Iremide | My blessing / my good has come | Yoruba | Unisex | 202 #9 | |
| Eniola | Person of wealth; one who has wealth | Yoruba | Unisex | 197 #10 | |
| Olamide | My wealth has arrived | Yoruba | Unisex | 188 #11 | |
| Iya | In Yoruba, Iya means "mother." In Russian/Slavic contexts it is used as a feminine given name. It is also sometimes treated as a variant or cognate of the Hebrew name Aya (meaning 'bird' or 'to fly'). | Hebrew, Russian, Slavic, Yoruba | Girl | 161 #12 | |
| Iyah | Likely 'mother' (from Yoruba Iyá); variant spellings may connect to other meanings such as Japanese 'color/design', Arabic 'verse/sign', or Hebrew 'bird' depending on origin | Yoruba | Girl | 139 #13 | |
| Ola | Varies by origin: from Old Norse 'descendant/ancestor's heir' (via Olaf); 'wealth, honor' in Yoruba; 'high, exalted' in Arabic; and as a short form of Aleksandra meaning 'defender of men' in Polish contexts. | Arabic, Norse, Polish, Yoruba | Unisex | 139 #14 | |
| Ade | Crown; royalty | Yoruba | Unisex | 138 #15 | |
| Ayo | Joy; happiness | Yoruba | Unisex | 134 #16 | |
| Akin | Yoruba: 'brave, valiant, warrior'; Turkish: 'raid, onslaught' | Turkish, Yoruba | Boy | 123 #17 | |
| Oni | Varies by origin - Japanese: 'oni' (demon/ogre); Yoruba: an element/title related to ownership/possession; Finnish (Onni variant): 'luck' or 'happiness'; English: used as a short form of Anthony/Antonia. | English, Finnish, Japanese, Yoruba | Unisex | 105 #18 | |
| Adeola | Crown of wealth ('Ade' = crown, 'ola' = wealth/honor) | Yoruba | Unisex | 103 #19 | |
| Boluwatife | God's will; as God wishes | Yoruba | Unisex | 85 #20 | |
| Oluwafemi | God loves me | Yoruba | Boy | 73 #21 | |
| Ayodeji | My joy has doubled | Yoruba | Boy | 70 #22 | |
| Oluwaseyi | God has done this | Yoruba | Unisex | 67 #23 | |
| Adewale | The crown has come home | Yoruba | Boy | 63 #24 | |
| Anuoluwapo | God's mercy is abundant | Yoruba | Unisex | 59 #25 | |
| Oluwaseun | "Thank God"; "God has done good" | Yoruba | Unisex | 54 #26 | |
| Moyinoluwa | I praise God / Praise the Lord | Yoruba | Unisex | 52 #27 | |
| Adedamola | The crown brings or is mixed with wealth (royalty confers wealth/prosperity) | Yoruba | Unisex | 51 #28 | |
| Damilola | Bless me with wealth | Yoruba | Girl | 49 #29 | |
| Adesewa | The crown has found beauty/honor (Ade = crown; sewa ≈ beauty/honor) | Yoruba | Girl | 47 #30 | |
| Adisa | Generally understood as 'clear' or 'one who is clear/clear-speaking' (often cited as a Yoruba name) | Yoruba | Unisex | 46 #31 | |
| Oya | Turkish: "lace, decorative needlework"; Yoruba: name of the Orisha Ọya, a goddess of winds, storms, change, and rebirth. | Turkish, Yoruba | Girl | 45 #32 | |
| Abeni | “We asked for her” - a prayed-for or long-awaited daughter | Yoruba | Girl | 43 #33 | |
| Abiola | Born into wealth; born with prosperity/honor | Yoruba | Unisex | 43 #34 | |
| Olumide | The Lord/God has come (literally: Olu-mi-de) | Yoruba | Boy | 38 #35 | |
| Kehinde | Second-born twin | Yoruba | Boy | 37 #36 | |
| Anuoluwa | God's mercy | Yoruba | Unisex | 36 #37 | |
| Korede | Brings wealth; brings prosperity/blessings | Yoruba | Unisex | 34 #38 | |
| Femi | God loves me | Yoruba | Boy | 31 #39 | |
| Olufemi | God loves me | Yoruba | Boy | 30 #40 | |
| Adesola | The crown brings wealth / the crown makes prosperity | Yoruba | Unisex | 24 #41 | |
| Oluwatosin | God is worthy to be worshipped/praised | Yoruba | Unisex | 24 #42 | |
| Moyosoreoluwa | My joy is from the Lord (God) | Yoruba | Unisex | 22 #43 | |
| Omolara | From Yoruba Ọmọ (child) + lárá - commonly rendered 'a child is family' or 'a child is cherished/valuable'. | Yoruba | Girl | 22 #44 | |
| Yemi | Befits me | Yoruba | Girl | 22 #45 | |
| Adetokunbo | The crown/royalty has come or returned from across the sea (often given to a child born abroad) | Yoruba | Boy | 20 #46 | |
| Omolola | "child is wealth" (the child brings wealth/honor) | Yoruba | Girl | 20 #47 | |
| Olujimi | God has awakened/raised me | Yoruba | Unisex | 18 #48 | |
| Taiwo | First to taste the world | Yoruba | Boy | 18 #49 | |
| Adenike | “the crown is cherished” or “cherished crown” (from Ade = crown, Nike = cherished/pampered) | Yoruba | Girl | 17 #50 |
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Yoruba-origin name in our dataset.
