Ifeoma
Feminine name of Igbo origin meaning "Nothing is impossible to God".
Name Census estimates that about 379 living Americans carry the first name Ifeoma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ifeoma today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ifeoma births was 1999 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ifeoma. 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 Ifeoma with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
379
~ 1 in 904,365 Americans
Peak year
1999
17 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,861
Tracked since 1972
Census
Ifeoma in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,061 people with the first name Ifeoma, which placed it at #11,902 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
#11,902
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,061 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
96.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ifeoma
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ifeoma is Black at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and White (1.4%). 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 Ifeoma 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 Ifeoma at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.2% · 1,021
- Two or more races1.5% · 16
- White1.4% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Ifeoma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ifeoma from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 118 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
Ifeoma 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 Ifeoma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ifeomas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ifeoma
The name Ifeoma originates from the Igbo culture of southeastern Nigeria. It is a combination of two Igbo words: "ife" meaning "good," and "oma" meaning "beauty" or "attractive." Together, Ifeoma translates to "beautiful thing" or "beautiful creation."
In Igbo tradition, names often carry deep meanings and are carefully chosen to reflect the circumstances surrounding a child's birth or the hopes and aspirations of the parents. Ifeoma is a name that celebrates the beauty and goodness of the newborn child and expresses the joy and gratitude of the parents.
While the name's origins can be traced back to the Igbo people of Nigeria, its use has spread beyond the region due to migration and cultural exchange. It has been embraced by other communities in West Africa and around the world, with varying spellings and pronunciations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ifeoma can be found in the work of renowned Igbo writer Chinua Achebe, who featured characters with the name in his novels, including "Things Fall Apart" published in 1958. Achebe's works played a significant role in introducing Igbo culture and names to a global audience.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ifeoma. One such figure is Ifeoma Chigbu (1930-2021), a Nigerian educator and women's rights activist who dedicated her life to promoting education and empowerment for girls and women in Nigeria.
Another prominent Ifeoma is Ifeoma Ozoma (born 1988), an American technology whistleblower and advocate for ethical workplace practices. She gained recognition for her role in exposing alleged misconduct at various tech companies, sparking discussions about corporate accountability and employee protection.
In the realm of literature, Ifeoma Okoye (born 1961) is a Nigerian author and poet whose works explore themes of identity, culture, and the experiences of women in contemporary African societies.
Ifeoma Fafunwa (born 1945) is a Nigerian playwright, director, and educator who has made significant contributions to the development of Nigerian theater and the promotion of African culture through her works.
Lastly, Ifeoma Ozougwu (born 1974) is a Nigerian-American entrepreneur and business executive who has held leadership positions in various tech companies, advocating for diversity and inclusion in the industry.
While these are just a few examples, the name Ifeoma has been borne by numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural diversity.
People
Ifeoma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ifeoma as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ifeoma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ifeoma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 379 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ifeoma 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 904,365 US residents.
Is Ifeoma a common name?
We classify Ifeoma as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 392 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ifeoma most popular?
The single biggest year for Ifeoma was 1999, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ifeoma is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ifeoma in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,061 people with the name Ifeoma, or 0.35 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,902 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 Ifeoma 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 Ifeoma?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ifeoma appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,059 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Ifeoma?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ifeoma is Black at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and White (1.4%). 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 Ifeoma most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Ifeoma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (1,021 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 Ifeoma in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ifeoma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ifeoma 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.
Is Ifeoma still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ifeoma 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 Ifeoma 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 Ifeoma?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Ifeoma on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.