Yoruba Name Generator

Yoruba names are sentences compressed into a word. Almost every given name is built from short roots that carry meaning: Oluwa or Olu (God), Ade (crown, royalty), Ola (wealth, honor), Ayo (joy), Ife (love), Omo (child), Ire (goodness), Temi (mine) and Jesu (Jesus, in newer Christian names). So Oluwaseun means "God has done it," Adebayo "the crown meets joy," Olamide "my wealth has arrived" and Temitope "mine is worthy of thanks." Most long names have an everyday short form: Oluwadamilola becomes Damilola or Lola, Olanrewaju becomes Lanre, Babatunde becomes Tunde.

Some names come with the child rather than being chosen. Twins are Taiwo (first out) and Kehinde (second), the child after twins is Idowu, and Babatunde ("father has returned") or Yetunde ("mother has returned") mark a birth soon after a grandparent's death. Surnames are typically an ancestor's given name or praise name, so they use the same roots plus orisha prefixes: Ogun (iron), Oya, Osun, Sango and Ifa give Ogunleye, Osunkoya, Sangodele and Fagbemi. Most surnames are gender-neutral; first names like Funmilayo, Yewande, Folasade and Abosede skew female, while Adekunle, Olusegun and Kolawole skew male. Many Yoruba families are Muslim, so Lateef Adegbite or Rasheedat Tijani is just as authentic as Oluwaseun Bankole.