Oluwamayowa
A Yoruba name meaning "God's wealth is mine".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Oluwamayowa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Oluwamayowa today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oluwamayowa births was 2004 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oluwamayowa. 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 Oluwamayowa with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Oluwamayowa. 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
16
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,581
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Oluwamayowa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oluwamayowa from the 2000s through to the 2010s, 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
Oluwamayowa 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 Oluwamayowa 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 Oluwamayowa
The name Oluwamayowa is a Yoruba name originating from the southwestern region of Nigeria. It has its roots in the Yoruba language, which is spoken by the Yoruba people, one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa.
Oluwamayowa is a compound word derived from the combination of two Yoruba words: "Oluwa," meaning "God" or "the Supreme Being," and "mayowa," which translates to "my joy" or "my happiness." As such, the name Oluwamayowa carries the meaning "God is my joy" or "God is my happiness."
The Yoruba people have a rich cultural heritage that dates back centuries, and their naming traditions often reflect their beliefs, values, and aspirations. The inclusion of the word "Oluwa" in Oluwamayowa highlights the importance of spirituality and reverence for a higher power in Yoruba culture.
While the exact origin of the name Oluwamayowa is uncertain, it is believed to have been in use among the Yoruba people for several centuries. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 17th and 18th centuries, during the height of the Oyo Empire, a powerful Yoruba kingdom that dominated the region.
One notable historical figure with the name Oluwamayowa was Oluwamayowa Adewale, a renowned Yoruba scholar and writer who lived in the 19th century. Adewale was known for his contributions to preserving and promoting Yoruba language and culture through his literary works.
Another significant figure was Oluwamayowa Ogunbiyi, a prominent Yoruba chief and leader who played a crucial role in the negotiations between the Yoruba people and the British colonial authorities in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, Oluwamayowa Ajayi gained recognition as a respected Yoruba artist and sculptor, whose works celebrated the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people.
Oluwamayowa Akintan, a Yoruba historian and academic, made significant contributions to the study and understanding of Yoruba history and traditions through his extensive research and publications.
More recently, Oluwamayowa Adediran has gained popularity as a Nigerian gospel singer and songwriter, known for her inspirational music that combines Yoruba cultural elements with Christian themes.
These individuals, spanning different eras and fields, have carried the name Oluwamayowa with pride and have contributed to the preservation and promotion of Yoruba culture and traditions.
People
Oluwamayowa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oluwamayowa 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
Oluwamayowa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oluwamayowa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oluwamayowa 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 Oluwamayowa a common name?
We classify Oluwamayowa 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 Oluwamayowa most popular?
The single biggest year for Oluwamayowa was 2004, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oluwamayowa is about 16 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 Oluwamayowa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oluwamayowa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oluwamayowa 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 Oluwamayowa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oluwamayowa 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 Oluwamayowa 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 Oluwamayowa?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.