Oluwakemi
A feminine Yoruba name meaning "God cherished this child".
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the first name Oluwakemi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Oluwakemi today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oluwakemi births was 2000 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oluwakemi. 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
237
~ 1 in 1,446,221 Americans
Peak year
2000
13 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,076
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Oluwakemi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oluwakemi from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 83 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oluwakemi 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 Oluwakemi 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 Oluwakemi
Oluwakemi is a Yoruba name from West Africa, specifically Nigeria. It is a combination of two words: "Oluwa," meaning "the Lord" or "God," and "Kemi," meaning "admirable" or "praiseworthy." The name can be translated to mean "the admirable one of God" or "God's praised one."
The Yoruba people are an ethnic group native to southwestern Nigeria and parts of Benin and Togo. Their language, also called Yoruba, is a Niger-Congo language spoken by over 30 million people. The name Oluwakemi has its roots in the Yoruba culture and traditions, reflecting the importance of religion and spirituality in their society.
While the name's origin can be traced back to the Yoruba people, it is not known exactly when it first came into use. However, many Yoruba names have been documented in various historical records, including religious texts and oral traditions passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Oluwakemi can be found in the writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba linguist and the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria. He lived from 1809 to 1891 and played a significant role in promoting Yoruba language and culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Oluwakemi. Here are five examples:
1. Oluwakemi Adesida (born in the 20th century), a Nigerian actress and producer known for her work in Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry.
2. Oluwakemi Toriola (born in 1973), a Nigerian former professional table tennis player who competed in seven Olympic Games and won multiple medals in international competitions.
3. Oluwakemi Ayokunnumi (born in the 20th century), a Nigerian sprinter who specialized in the 100 and 200 meters and represented her country at the Olympic Games.
4. Oluwakemi Ademola (born in the mid-20th century), a Nigerian lawyer and judge who served as the first female Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
5. Oluwakemi Anjorin (born in the late 20th century), a Nigerian fashion designer and entrepreneur known for her eponymous clothing line and contributions to the fashion industry in Nigeria.
These individuals have made significant contributions in their respective fields, showcasing the versatility and prominence of the name Oluwakemi across various sectors.
People
Oluwakemi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oluwakemi 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
Oluwakemi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oluwakemi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 237 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oluwakemi 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 1,446,221 US residents.
Is Oluwakemi a common name?
We classify Oluwakemi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 243 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oluwakemi most popular?
The single biggest year for Oluwakemi was 2000, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oluwakemi is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Oluwakemi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oluwakemi 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.