Alaye
A feminine Nigerian Yoruba name of unknown meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Alaye. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 68.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Alaye today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alaye births was 1997 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alaye. 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 Alaye. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1997
6 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2002 SSA rank
#10,722
Tracked since 1997
Gender
Gender distribution for Alaye
Alaye is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 16 total registrations, 11 (68.8%) were male and 5 (31.3%) were female.
Alaye as a male name
- Ranked #10,722 in 2002
- 5 male births in 2002
- Peak: 1997 (6 births)
Alaye as a female name
- Ranked #14,477 in 1999
- 5 female births in 1999
- Peak: 1999 (5 births)
Popularity
Alaye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alaye from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Alaye remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alaye 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 Alaye 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 Alaye
The name Alaye originates from the Yoruba language, which is spoken primarily in southwestern Nigeria. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, when the Yoruba civilization flourished in what is now modern-day Nigeria.
The name Alaye is derived from the Yoruba word "ale," which means "dream" or "vision." It may have been given to children born after their parents had a significant dream or vision, or to those who were believed to possess a special connection to the spiritual realm.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Alaye can be found in the ancient Yoruba oral traditions and folktales. These stories often featured characters with symbolic names that reflected their roles or personalities within the narrative.
In the 16th century, during the height of the Oyo Empire, a prominent Yoruba ruler named Alaye Ajagbonmiregun ascended to the throne. He was known for his military prowess and his efforts to expand the empire's influence across the region.
Another notable figure with the name Alaye was Alaye Oloye, a Yoruba priestess and healer who lived in the 18th century. She was renowned for her expertise in traditional medicine and her ability to communicate with the spiritual world.
In the 19th century, Alaye Ariya was a respected Yoruba scholar and linguist who played a crucial role in preserving and documenting the Yoruba language and culture.
During the 20th century, the name Alaye gained recognition outside of Nigeria, particularly in the African diaspora communities. One prominent individual was Alaye Raheem, an influential Ghanaian writer and activist who advocated for pan-Africanism and decolonization.
It is worth noting that while the name Alaye has its roots in the Yoruba culture, it has also been embraced and adapted by other ethnic groups and cultures, particularly within West Africa and beyond.
People
Alaye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alaye 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
Alaye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alaye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alaye 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Alaye a common name?
We classify Alaye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alaye most popular?
The single biggest year for Alaye was 1997, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alaye is about 26 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 Alaye in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alaye a male name?
Yes, 68.8% of people registered as Alaye 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 Alaye still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alaye 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 Alaye 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 Alaye as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.