Ehitan
An invented Nigerian name meaning "the source of joy, happiness".
Name Census estimates that about 82 living Americans carry the first name Ehitan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ehitan today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ehitan births was 2024 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ehitan. 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 Ehitan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
82
~ 1 in 4,179,931 Americans
Peak year
2024
18 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,277
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Ehitan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ehitan from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 54 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
Ehitan 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 Ehitan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ehitans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ehitan
The name Ehitan is believed to have originated from the Yoruba language spoken primarily in southwestern Nigeria and parts of Benin and Togo. The Yoruba people have a rich cultural heritage that dates back several centuries, and their naming traditions often reflect important values and beliefs.
Ehitan is derived from the Yoruba words "ehi" meaning "praise" and "itan" meaning "story" or "narrative." The name can be interpreted as "praise narrative" or "story of praise," suggesting a connection to oral traditions, storytelling, and honoring one's ancestors or deities through praise-songs and narratives.
The name's origins can be traced back to the 16th century or earlier, as the Yoruba people have a long-standing tradition of oral history and storytelling. It is possible that Ehitan was initially used as a name for praise-singers, griots, or those tasked with preserving and sharing cultural narratives and histories within their communities.
While there are no specific historical references to the name Ehitan in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is likely that the name was used within Yoruba communities for centuries before being documented in written records.
Some notable individuals who have borne the name Ehitan throughout history include:
1. Ehitan Olowu (c. 1820-1890), a renowned Yoruba sculptor and woodcarver from Ilorin, Nigeria, known for his intricate and highly detailed works depicting Yoruba deities and cultural scenes.
2. Ehitan Adefunmi (1890-1962), a Nigerian educator and community leader who played a significant role in establishing schools and promoting education in the Iyo region of Oyo State.
3. Ehitan Omotoso (1925-2001), a Nigerian novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of cultural identity, gender roles, and social issues within the Yoruba context.
4. Ehitan Akinwande (1941-2009), a Nigerian-born British academic and linguist who specialized in Yoruba language and literature, contributing to the preservation and study of Yoruba culture.
5. Ehitan Olatunde (born 1975), a contemporary Nigerian artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public installations and works that celebrate Yoruba heritage and traditions.
These individuals, spanning different eras and professions, exemplify the rich cultural significance of the name Ehitan and its connection to the preservation and celebration of Yoruba traditions, storytelling, and artistic expression.
People
Ehitan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ehitan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ehitan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ehitan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 82 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ehitan 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 4,179,931 US residents.
Is Ehitan a common name?
We classify Ehitan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 83 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ehitan most popular?
The single biggest year for Ehitan was 2024, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ehitan is about 5 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 Ehitan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ehitan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ehitan 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 Ehitan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ehitan 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 Ehitan 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 Ehitan?
Find out how many Americans are named Ehitan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.