Folashade
A feminine Yoruba name meaning "honor adorns the crown".
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the first name Folashade. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Folashade today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Folashade births was 1990 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Folashade. 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
167
~ 1 in 2,052,421 Americans
Peak year
1990
12 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2008 SSA rank
#18,434
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Folashade: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Folashade from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 63 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Folashade remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Folashade 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 Folashade 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 Folashade
Folashade is a Yoruba name that originated in southwestern Nigeria. The name is a combination of two Yoruba words: "Fola" meaning "honor" or "wealth," and "shade" meaning "born into." Thus, the name Folashade can be interpreted as "one who is born into honor or wealth."
The Yoruba people are an ethnic group native to modern-day Southwestern Nigeria and Southern Benin. Their culture and language have a rich history dating back several centuries. The Yoruba language is a tonal language spoken by over 30 million people, primarily in Nigeria, Benin, and other parts of West Africa.
While the exact origin of the name Folashade is difficult to pinpoint, it is believed to have been in use among the Yoruba people for several centuries. The Yoruba people have a tradition of giving names that reflect their values, beliefs, and aspirations for their children.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Folashade can be found in the writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba linguist and the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria. Crowther, who lived from 1809 to 1891, documented many Yoruba names and their meanings in his works.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Folashade. One such person was Folashade Olorunkoya (1928-2015), a Nigerian educator and activist who played a significant role in promoting education for girls in Nigeria. Another was Folashade Ogundiya (1915-1993), a Nigerian politician and women's rights activist who served as a member of the Nigerian Federal House of Representatives.
In the realm of literature, Folashade Akpan (born 1956) is a Nigerian author and academic known for her works exploring themes of identity, culture, and gender. Folashade Olunloyo (born 1979) is a Nigerian journalist and human rights activist who has been recognized for her work in exposing corruption and advocating for social justice.
Folashade Ayegbusi (born 1973) is a Nigerian-American engineer and entrepreneur who has made significant contributions in the field of renewable energy and sustainable development.
It is worth noting that while the name Folashade has its roots in the Yoruba culture, it has transcended its origins and is now used by people of various backgrounds and ethnicities around the world, particularly in West Africa and among the African diaspora.
People
Folashade + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Folashade as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Folashade: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Folashade?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 167 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Folashade 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 2,052,421 US residents.
Is Folashade a common name?
We classify Folashade as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 174 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Folashade most popular?
The single biggest year for Folashade was 1990, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Folashade is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Folashade a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Folashade in the SSA data are female. 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.