Ajayi
A masculine Yoruba name meaning "wealth has arisen" or "wealth chaser".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Ajayi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ajayi today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ajayi births was 2018 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ajayi. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ajayi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2018
6 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#10,807
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Ajayi: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ajayi 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 Ajayi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ajayi
The name Ajayi originates from the Yoruba language and culture of West Africa, particularly in present-day Nigeria. It dates back several centuries, with roots in the Yoruba words "Aja" meaning "warrior" and "Iyi" meaning "born into." Ajayi is thus interpreted as "born into the lineage of warriors" or "born a warrior."
In ancient Yoruba history, the name Ajayi was often bestowed upon male children born into prominent warrior families or those believed to possess a strong, courageous spirit. It carried a sense of pride, strength, and honor, reflecting the Yoruba's rich tradition of valuing bravery and martial prowess.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ajayi can be found in the Odu Ifa, a sacred collection of oral traditions, proverbs, and stories that form the basis of the Yoruba spiritual system. The name appears in several passages, often associated with tales of heroic deeds and battles.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the name Ajayi. One of the earliest recorded figures was Ajayi Agbonyin (c. 1700-1770), a renowned Yoruba warrior and leader who played a pivotal role in defending his people against invading forces during the 18th century.
Another prominent figure was Ajayi Crowther (1809-1891), a Yoruba linguist, and Anglican missionary. He was one of the first Africans to be ordained as an Anglican bishop and made significant contributions to the translation of religious texts into the Yoruba language.
In the 20th century, Ajayi Ade Akinbiyi (1914-1989) was a prominent Nigerian lawyer and statesman who served as the first civilian governor of the Western Region of Nigeria from 1967 to 1971.
The name Ajayi has also been carried by notable academics and intellectuals, such as Ajayi Funso (1924-2013), a renowned Nigerian historian and scholar who specialized in Yoruba history and culture, and Ajayi Bamgbose (1933-2022), a renowned linguist and expert in language planning and policy in Africa.
Throughout its history, the name Ajayi has maintained its association with strength, courage, and leadership, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people and their traditions.
People
Ajayi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ajayi 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
Ajayi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ajayi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ajayi 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 Ajayi a common name?
We classify Ajayi 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 Ajayi most popular?
The single biggest year for Ajayi was 2018, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ajayi is about 8 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 Ajayi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ajayi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ajayi 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 Ajayi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ajayi 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 Ajayi 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 share the name Ajayi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.