Ajaye
A Sanskrit name meaning "invincible" or "unconquerable".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Ajaye. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 54.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Ajaye today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ajaye births was 2006 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ajaye. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ajaye with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ajaye. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2006
6 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2006 SSA rank
#10,704
Tracked since 2006
Gender
Gender distribution for Ajaye
Ajaye is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 11 total registrations, 6 (54.5%) were male and 5 (45.5%) were female.
Ajaye as a male name
- Ranked #10,704 in 2006
- 6 male births in 2006
- Peak: 2006 (6 births)
Ajaye as a female name
- Ranked #15,628 in 2019
- 5 female births in 2019
- Peak: 2019 (5 births)
Popularity
Ajaye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ajaye from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ajaye by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ajaye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ajaye
The name Ajaye originates from the Yoruba language of West Africa, specifically from the southwestern region of modern-day Nigeria and neighboring areas. It is believed to have emerged during the 15th century or earlier, as the Yoruba people and their cultural traditions date back several centuries.
Ajaye is derived from the Yoruba word "aja," which means "warrior" or "brave one." The suffix "ye" is often added to Yoruba names to denote a form of respect or endearment. Thus, the name Ajaye translates to "the brave one" or "the respected warrior."
In Yoruba mythology and oral traditions, there are references to legendary warriors and heroes bearing the name Ajaye. These stories often celebrate their courage, strength, and resilience in battle or during times of adversity. However, specific historical texts or ancient scriptures mentioning individuals with this name are not widely documented.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Ajaye can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries, during the height of the Oyo Empire, a powerful Yoruba kingdom in present-day southwestern Nigeria. Notable historical figures bearing this name include:
1. Ajaye Ogundiran (c. 1550 - c. 1615), a renowned military commander and strategist who played a crucial role in the expansion of the Oyo Empire under the reign of Alaafin Abipa.
2. Ajaye Oloko (c. 1625 - c. 1690), a skilled diplomat and advisor to the Alaafin (king) of the Oyo Empire, known for his diplomatic efforts in establishing trade and political alliances with neighboring kingdoms.
3. Ajaye Akinola (c. 1750 - c. 1820), a renowned sculptor and woodcarver from the city of Ife, whose intricate works adorned royal palaces and shrines throughout the Yoruba region.
4. Ajaye Crowther (c. 1809 - 1891), a linguist, missionary, and the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria, known for his efforts in translating the Bible into the Yoruba language.
5. Ajaye Delano (1890 - 1976), a prominent Nigerian economist and educator who played a significant role in shaping the country's economic policies in the mid-20th century.
While the name Ajaye has its roots in the Yoruba culture, it has gained popularity beyond West Africa and is now used by people of various ethnic backgrounds around the world, particularly in the African diaspora communities.
People
Ajaye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ajaye as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ajaye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ajaye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ajaye going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Ajaye a common name?
We classify Ajaye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ajaye most popular?
The single biggest year for Ajaye was 2006, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ajaye is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ajaye in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ajaye a male name?
Yes, 54.5% of people registered as Ajaye in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ajaye still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ajaye in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ajaye can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Ajaye?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.