Ayodeji
A male given name of Yoruba origin meaning "the crown complements the baby".
Name Census estimates that about 273 living Americans carry the first name Ayodeji. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ayodeji today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ayodeji births was 2009 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ayodeji. 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 Ayodeji with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
273
~ 1 in 1,255,510 Americans
Peak year
2009
12 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,987
Tracked since 1986
Census
Ayodeji in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 855 people with the first name Ayodeji, which placed it at #13,939 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#13,939
National first-name rank
People counted
855
855 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ayodeji
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ayodeji is Black at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and White (1.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ayodeji described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ayodeji at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.9% · 820
- Two or more races1.5% · 13
- White1.2% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 5
Popularity
Ayodeji: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ayodeji from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 89 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ayodeji remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ayodeji 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 Ayodeji during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ayodejis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ayodeji
The given name Ayodeji originates from the Yoruba language spoken in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. It is a compound name derived from the words "Ayo" meaning "joy" and "deji" meaning "wake up" or "arise." Therefore, the name can be interpreted as "joy wakes up" or "joy arises."
Yoruba is an ancient language with a rich cultural heritage dating back to the 11th century. The name Ayodeji reflects the traditional values and beliefs of the Yoruba people, who place a strong emphasis on the importance of joy and happiness in life. It is a name that conveys a sense of positivity and hope, reflecting the desire for a child to bring joy and awakening to their family and community.
While the name Ayodeji has its roots in the Yoruba culture, it has transcended its origins and gained popularity across various regions and communities. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba linguist and Anglican missionary who lived from 1809 to 1891.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ayodeji. One such figure is Ayodeji Olukoju, a renowned Nigerian historian and scholar who has made significant contributions to the study of African maritime history. He was born in 1952 and continues to be an influential voice in academia.
Another prominent individual with this name is Ayodeji Balogun, a Nigerian-born film director and screenwriter. He is known for his thought-provoking works that explore various social and cultural themes. Balogun's films have gained international recognition and have been featured at numerous film festivals worldwide.
In the realm of sports, Ayodeji Falegan stands out as a notable figure. He is a former Nigerian professional footballer who played as a striker for several clubs in Nigeria and Europe. Falegan was part of the Nigerian national team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980.
Ayodeji Osowobi is another individual who has made a mark in the field of business and entrepreneurship. He is the founder and CEO of a successful technology company based in Lagos, Nigeria. Osowobi's innovative approach and leadership have contributed to the growth and development of the tech industry in the region.
Lastly, Ayodeji Oguntola is a renowned Nigerian artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the globe. His sculptures often depict traditional Yoruba themes and motifs, reflecting his deep appreciation for his cultural heritage.
These individuals, along with countless others, have carried the name Ayodeji with pride and distinction, contributing to various fields and leaving a lasting impact on their communities and the world at large.
People
Ayodeji + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ayodeji 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
Ayodeji: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ayodeji?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 273 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ayodeji 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 1,255,510 US residents.
Is Ayodeji a common name?
We classify Ayodeji as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 277 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ayodeji most popular?
The single biggest year for Ayodeji was 2009, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ayodeji is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ayodeji in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 855 people with the name Ayodeji, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,939 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ayodeji in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ayodeji?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ayodeji leans strongly male. 809 people counted with this name were male (95.1%), compared with 42 female bearers (4.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ayodeji?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ayodeji is Black at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and White (1.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ayodeji most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Ayodeji in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (820 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Ayodeji in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ayodeji a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ayodeji 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 Ayodeji still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ayodeji 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 Ayodeji 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.
How many people have the name Ayodeji?
See how many people share the name Ayodeji on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.