2010
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Olayiwola
A Yoruba surname meaning "wealth comes to celebrate honor".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 306 Americans carry the last name Olayiwola. That puts it at #77,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,120,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olayiwola surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Olayiwola with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
306
1 in 1,120,112
Census rank
#77,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
267
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 267 bearers of the surname Olayiwola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olayiwola, the largest self-reported group is Black at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olayiwola
The surname OLAYIWOLA originated from the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. It is a compound word derived from the combination of two Yoruba words, "Ola" meaning wealth or prosperity, and "Iyawola" meaning a woman who gives birth to children. The name was likely given to individuals born into families of affluence or those who were blessed with many children.
OLAYIWOLA can be traced back to the 16th century during the height of the Oyo Empire, one of the most powerful Yoruba states in pre-colonial Nigeria. The name was prevalent among the nobility and prominent families within the empire's territories, which stretched across parts of present-day Benin Republic and Togo.
Historical records from the Oyo Empire, including oral histories and writings from early European explorers, mention individuals bearing the name OLAYIWOLA. One notable figure was Oba Olayiwola, a ruler of the Oyo Empire in the late 17th century, known for his military conquests and expansion of the empire's influence.
The earliest recorded use of the name OLAYIWOLA can be found in the writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba linguist and the first African bishop of the Anglican Church, who lived from 1809 to 1891. Crowther's works contain references to individuals with the surname OLAYIWOLA, indicating its widespread use among the Yoruba people during that period.
Other notable individuals with the surname OLAYIWOLA include:
1. Adeyemi Olayiwola (1886-1958), a prominent Nigerian lawyer and politician who played a significant role in the country's independence movement.
2. Olayiwola Afolabi (1923-2004), a Nigerian writer and academic who served as the vice-chancellor of the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) from 1975 to 1978.
3. Adekunle Olayiwola (born 1952), a Nigerian businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Adekunle Olayiwola Group, a conglomerate with interests in various sectors.
4. Olayiwola Olaoye (born 1958), a Nigerian-American academic and author, known for her work on African literature and culture.
5. Olayiwola Olusola (born 1983), a Nigerian-American singer and beatboxer who rose to fame as a member of the a cappella group Pentatonix.
While the name OLAYIWOLA has its roots in the Yoruba culture of Nigeria, it has spread across the globe due to migration and diaspora communities, with individuals bearing this surname found in various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olayiwola
Among Census respondents with the surname Olayiwola, the largest self-reported group is Black at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Olayiwola bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Olayiwola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American98.5% · 263
- White1.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olayiwola
Olayiwola appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#77,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 267
+132 bearers (+97.8%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 49,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #77,462 | 267 | 0.09 | +132 bearers (+97.8%) | Up 49,303 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Olayiwola surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #126,765 | #77,462 | 38.9% |
| Count | 135 | 267 | 97.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.09 | 78.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olayiwola bearers went from 135 to 267 (+97.8% change). The surname moved up 49,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #77,462.
FAQ
Olayiwola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olayiwola?
Name Census estimates that about 306 living Americans carry the surname Olayiwola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,120,112 residents.
How common is Olayiwola?
Olayiwola ranks #77,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 267 people with the surname Olayiwola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Olayiwola.
Has Olayiwola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olayiwola went from 135 recorded bearers to 267. That is an increase of 132 (+97.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #126,765 to #77,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Olayiwola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olayiwola, the largest self-reported group is Black at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Olayiwola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (263 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olayiwola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (98.5%), White (1.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Olayiwola (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Olayiwola mean?
A Yoruba surname meaning "wealth comes to celebrate honor". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Olayiwola (0.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Olayiwola?
You can see how many people have the last name Olayiwola on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.