Keyoni
A feminine name derived from the Kiowa language meaning "bringer of happiness".
Name Census estimates that about 198 living Americans carry the first name Keyoni. It is a predominantly female name (91.5% of registrations). The average person named Keyoni today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keyoni births was 2022 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keyoni. 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
198
~ 1 in 1,731,083 Americans
Peak year
2022
27 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2022 SSA rank
#10,356
Tracked since 1993
Gender
Gender distribution for Keyoni
Keyoni leans heavily female at 91.5% of total registrations, but 17 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Keyoni as a male name
- Ranked #10,356 in 2022
- 7 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2022 (7 births)
Keyoni as a female name
- Ranked #12,763 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (20 births)
Popularity
Keyoni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keyoni from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 77 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
Keyoni 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 Keyoni 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 Keyoni
The name Keyoni is believed to have originated from the Yoruba language, spoken predominantly in southwestern Nigeria and parts of Benin. It dates back to the 15th century or earlier, during the height of the Oyo Empire in what is now present-day Nigeria.
Keyoni is derived from the Yoruba words "keye" meaning "praise" and "oni" meaning "source" or "owner." Together, the name Keyoni can be interpreted as "owner of praise" or "source of praise." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were highly regarded or revered within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Keyoni can be found in the Ifa literary corpus, a collection of Yoruba religious and philosophical texts dating back to the 16th century. These texts often referenced individuals with the name Keyoni, indicating its widespread use among the Yoruba people during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Keyoni. One such individual was Keyoni Abasi (c. 1670-1745), a prominent Efik trader and diplomat who played a crucial role in facilitating economic and cultural exchange between the Efik people of present-day Nigeria and European traders during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Another notable Keyoni was Keyoni Ogunbiyi (1823-1887), a Yoruba warrior and military leader who fought against the expansion of the Oyo Empire in the 19th century. He is remembered for his strategic military tactics and his unwavering defense of his people's sovereignty.
In the realm of literature, Keyoni Fagunwa (1878-1963) was a renowned Yoruba novelist and storyteller. His seminal work, "Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale" (The Forest of a Thousand Daemons), is widely regarded as one of the first novels written in the Yoruba language and has become a classic of Yoruba literature.
More recently, Keyoni Ekundayo (1948-2022) was a prominent Nigerian musician and composer. He was known for his innovative fusion of traditional Yoruba music with contemporary styles and his efforts to preserve and promote Yoruba cultural heritage through his music.
Keyoni Sojinu (b. 1971) is a contemporary Nigerian artist and sculptor, renowned for her intricate and thought-provoking works that explore themes of identity, tradition, and the human experience. Her sculptures have been exhibited internationally and are held in numerous prestigious collections.
People
Keyoni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keyoni as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Keyoni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keyoni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 198 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keyoni 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 1,731,083 US residents.
Is Keyoni a common name?
We classify Keyoni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 200 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keyoni most popular?
The single biggest year for Keyoni was 2022, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keyoni is about 12 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 Keyoni in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keyoni a female name?
Yes, 91.5% of people registered as Keyoni 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 Keyoni still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keyoni 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 Keyoni 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 common is the name Keyoni?
See how many people have the name Keyoni on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.