Babatunde
A Yoruba name meaning "father has returned again" or "the returned father".
Name Census estimates that about 331 living Americans carry the first name Babatunde. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Babatunde today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Babatunde births was 1995 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Babatunde. 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.
People living today
331
~ 1 in 1,035,512 Americans
Peak year
1995
20 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2010 SSA rank
#9,796
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Babatunde: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Babatunde from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 108 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Babatunde 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 Babatunde during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Babatundes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Babatunde
The name Babatunde is of Yoruba origin, a language spoken by the Yoruba people who are primarily found in southwestern Nigeria, as well as parts of Benin and Togo. It is a compound name combining the Yoruba words "baba" meaning "father" and "tunde" which means "to return" or "to repeat". Thus, the name Babatunde can be interpreted as "father returns" or "the father has returned".
The Yoruba people have a rich cultural heritage dating back several centuries, and their naming traditions have played a significant role in preserving their history and values. The name Babatunde reflects the importance placed on the role of the father in Yoruba society, as well as the concept of reincarnation and the belief that a child may be the reincarnation of an ancestor.
While the exact origins of the name Babatunde are difficult to trace, it is believed to have been in use among the Yoruba people for centuries. The name has been mentioned in various Yoruba folktales and oral traditions, which have been passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Babatunde can be found in the writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba explorer and linguist who lived in the 19th century (1809-1891). Crowther played a significant role in documenting the Yoruba language and culture, and his works provide valuable insights into the naming traditions of the Yoruba people.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Babatunde. One of the most famous was Babatunde Olatunji (1927-2003), a Nigerian drummer and musician who was instrumental in introducing Yoruba music to the West. Another prominent individual was Babatunde Obafemi (1925-1994), a Nigerian writer and academic who made significant contributions to the field of African literature.
Other notable individuals with the name Babatunde include Babatunde Fashola (born 1963), a Nigerian politician and former Governor of Lagos State, and Babatunde Eleyinmi (born 1950), a Nigerian artist and sculptor known for his intricate wood carvings.
Additionally, the name Babatunde has been used in various works of literature and popular culture, further solidifying its place in the cultural landscape. For example, Babatunde is a character in the novel "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, one of the most celebrated works of African literature.
People
Babatunde + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Babatunde as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Babatunde: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Babatunde?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 331 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Babatunde 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 1,035,512 US residents.
Is Babatunde a common name?
We classify Babatunde as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 344 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Babatunde most popular?
The single biggest year for Babatunde was 1995, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Babatunde is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Babatunde a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Babatunde 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.
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.