Ojany
A masculine Luo name of Kenyan origin meaning "born on Ojano market day".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Ojany. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ojany today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ojany births was 2004 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ojany. 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 Ojany. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2004
6 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2004 SSA rank
#10,950
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Ojany: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ojany from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 6 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
Ojany 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 Ojany 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 Ojany
The given name Ojany has its roots in the Akan language spoken by the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa. The name is believed to have originated in the 16th century during the height of the great Ashanti Kingdom. It is derived from the Akan word "ojan" which means "born on a Friday" and the suffix "y" which is a common diminutive ending in the language.
Historically, the name Ojany was commonly given to children born on a Friday, which was considered a sacred day in Akan culture. In traditional Akan society, each day of the week was associated with a specific set of spiritual values and qualities, and parents would often choose names for their children based on the day they were born.
While there are no known ancient texts or religious scriptures that directly reference the name Ojany, it has been used consistently within Akan communities for centuries. The earliest recorded examples of the name date back to the late 17th century, when European traders and explorers began documenting their encounters with the Akan people.
Throughout history, a few notable individuals have borne the name Ojany, including:
1. Ojany Cudjoe (c. 1680 - c. 1730), a prominent leader of the Maroon community in Jamaica, who led a rebellion against British colonial rule.
2. Ojany Acheampong (1932 - 2008), a Ghanaian politician and diplomat who served as Ghana's Ambassador to the United Nations from 1972 to 1978.
3. Ojany Mensah (1920 - 1986), a Ghanaian writer and educator who played a significant role in promoting Akan literature and culture.
4. Ojany Kojo (b. 1952), a Ghanaian artist and sculptor known for his intricate wood carvings and representations of Akan mythology and folklore.
5. Ojany Annan (b. 1968), a Ghanaian-American entrepreneur and businesswoman who founded a successful line of natural hair care products.
While these are some notable examples, the name Ojany has been widely used within Akan communities for generations, carrying with it the cultural significance and traditions of the Akan people.
People
Ojany + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ojany as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ojany: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ojany?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ojany 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Ojany a common name?
We classify Ojany as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ojany most popular?
The single biggest year for Ojany was 2004, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ojany is about 24 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 Ojany in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ojany a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ojany 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 Ojany still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ojany 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 Ojany 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 have the name Ojany?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Ojany, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.