YORUBA NAMES AND THEIR ORIGINS

There are many Yorùbá names whose meanings are now lost due to the fact that the words
forming their roots are no longer in use. For instance, ask the young Master Ọlọ́pàádé the
meaning of his name and he will probably tell you that his name means “the policeman has
come“. Ask Mr. Ọlọ́paádé, his father, and he would probably tell you it means “the owner of
the staff has come“. The two of them would be wrong as Ọlọ́pàádé actually means
“the Ọpa (re|re) devotee has come“. The same goes for all other Ọpa names
like Ọpatọ́lá, Ọpadọ̀ tun etc. Those names show that the ancestors of the bearers of the names
were worshippers or devotees of the Ọpa Cult otherwise called Awo Ọpa, one of the religious
cults or secret societies proscribed by the British in colonial days. 
Or imagine another scenario: Pastor Ọbáfẹ́mi (re|mi|mi|re), the pastor of a Pentecostal
church, is asking Deacon Ògúnyẹmí to change his name because he believes that the name of
the deacon is associated with Ògún, an idol (so-called), without realizing that his own name is
also idolatrous in its origin.  
Even Professor Wọlé Ṣóyínká in his book “The Man Died” gave the meaning of his
surname Ṣóyínká to be “surrounded by wizards“. This is far from being the case. Names
like Ṣóyínká, Ṣónékàn, Ṣónúgà etc. do not derive from “Oṣó“(wizard) but rather they derive
from Òrìṣà-Oko, the Yorùbá deity of agriculture. The name Ṣóyínká in full
is Òrìṣàokoyínká which became shortened by a gradual declension to Ṣóókóyínká, Ṣóyímiká and
finally to Ṣóyínká. It is the same for all the other “Ṣóó…” names. 
If a whole Professor Ṣóyínká, a master of literature and language can be thus mistaken on the
derivation and meaning of his own name, what about we lesser mortals. It is in order to put
these various misconceptions right that I am publishing this little work via this medium. 
This list is by no means exhaustive and others inputs are welcome so it can be in writing for
generations yet unborn so that the knowledge of the meaning of our names will not die out. 
Also, if you want to know the meaning of your Yorùbá name, you are welcome to ask. 
Àgbà ò ní tán lórílẹ̀  (the elders’ wise counsel will never be scarce in our midst). 
The “Okù” (re|do) names like Okùsànyà, Okùsẹ̀ hìnde, Okùsàga etc are not derived from “Òkú”
(dò|mí), a dead person. They are derived from “Okù“, the Ijebu deity of wealth which
corresponds to “Ajé“, the Ọ̀ yọ́ Yorùbá deity of wealth. Thus, Okùsànyà means the deity of
wealth has rewarded me for my sufferings and not dead person has rewarded me for my
sufferings. 
Ọrẹ̀  (re|do)names like Ọ̀ rẹ̀ sànyà, Ọ̀ rẹ̀ dípẹ̀  etc. They do not derive from Ọ̀ rẹ́, (dò|mí), friend, but
from Ọrẹ̀ , (re|do), a deity. A phrase like “A kìí ọmọ Ọrẹ̀ bọ Ọrẹ̀ ” (you don’t use the child of
Ọrẹ̀  to propitiateỌrẹ̀ ) comes to mind.
Igbin names like Onígbindé, Igbintádé etc do not derive from ìgbín (do|mi), snail, but rather
from Igbin, (re|re), a drum beaten for the Òrìṣàálá or Ọbàtálá worship. The ancestors of people
bearing these names were drummers for Òrìṣàálá worshippers. 
Ọ̀ pẹ̀  (do|do) names like Ọ̀ pẹ̀ sèyí, Ọ̀ pẹ̀ tọ́lá etc do not derive from Ọ̀ pẹ, (do|re), palm tree, but
rather from Ọ̀ pẹ̀ , (do|do), an Ifá appellation. 
Ọnà (re|do) Ọnàsànyà, Ọnàbánjọ: these names are not derived from ọ̀ nà (road) but they derive
from Ọnà (craft). The name bearers of these names would be people who were craftsmen like
sculptors etc in their origin.
 Aláàlàdé (re|mi|do|do|mi) does not derive from àlá (do|mi), dream, but derives from Àlà (do|
do), white, symbol of purity – the insignia of the Òrìṣàálá or Ọbàtálá deity and it means the
owner of àlá has come, the Òrìṣàálá devotee has come and not the dreamer has come as many
have supposed it means.  
Elégbèdé does not derive from egbé (re|mí) – the supposed magical means of teleporting – and
is not supposed to be pronounced as Elégbédé (re|mi|mi|mi) as Sunny Ade sang it in one of
the records, on the Erelú of Lagos. The name is derived from ègbè (do|do) meaning support.
Thus, the name is more properly pronounced as Elégbèédé (re|mi|do|mi|mi) – the defender,
the one who will fight or support my cause has come. 
Onípẹ̀ ẹ́dẹ́ (re|mi|do|mi|mi) does not derive from ìpẹ́ (do|mi) fish scales, but derives
from ìpẹ̀  (do|do) – consolation. So, it should not be pronounced as Onípẹ̀ dẹ́ (re|mi|do|mi) the
owner of scales has come but rather as Onípẹ̀ ẹ́dẹ́ (re|mi|do|mi|mi) – the consoler has come. 
Baba (re|re) and Ọba (re|re) name such 
Babasànyà, Babafẹ́mi, Ọbadáre, Ọbafẹ́mi, Ọbasanjọ́  do not derive from father or king. They
both derive their roots from Ṣọ̀ npọ̀ nná, the deity of small-pox, which used to be referred to in
reverent tone in olden days as Baba so that he would not kill them. If you will recall, in olden
times, the marks left on the faces of anyone who recovered from small-pox attack used to be
referred to as Ila-Baba, that is father’s marks.  
In Chief Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́’s book, My Watch, he gave us an insight into the origin of the
names starting with Ọba. Such names are related to Ọbalúaiyé (also calledṢọ̀ npọ̀ nná), the deity
of smallpox. So the Ọba in Ọbasanjọ́, and Ọbafẹ́mi, is derived from Ọbalúaiyé and not from
king.  
So, Pastor Ọbafẹ́mi, in the hypothetical case mentioned above would do well to remove the log
in his own eyes first by changing his own name first before insisting that
Deacon Ògúnyẹmí should change his name.  
 Olókọ̀  (re|mi|do) does not derive from the word ọkọ̀ (re|do) – lorry or canoe and it does not
mean the owner of a lorry or the owner of canoe, but it derives from the word ọ̀ kọ̀  (do|do) –
spear, and it means the owner, master or lord of the spear. It is a war title which has become a
name. It is the title borne by the group of warriors whose chosen weapons of warfare is the
spare.  
Adékọ̀ gbẹ́ (re|mi|do|mi) does not mean the crown rejects excreta as the word ìgbẹ́ (do|mi) in
the name does not mean excreta; rather it means a bush or a light forest. The name means the
crown rejects the bush, that is to say a prince shouldn’t be involved in manual labour or farming
activities. Adékọ̀ gbẹ́ is a name much favoured by the Ìjẹ̀ bú, as they are of all Yorùbá tribes a
tribe that is more averse to farm work or manual labour than any of the other Yorùbá tribes.
They prefer to trade instead. 
Adé (re|mi) names like Adébóyè Adébáyọ̀  Adébọ́lá are not derived from Adé (crown) but rather
they are derived from the verb dé which means to come. Adébóyè means he who came at a
time when chieftaincy has just entered into the family. Adébáyọ̀  means he who comes to meet
when a thing of joy has just come into the family and Adébọ́lá means he who comes to meet
when wealth has just come into the family. 
Apart from the misconstrued names, there are other names whose meanings are now
recondite as many people no longer know what the names mean.  
 Ṣàdáre Ṣàdẹ̀ kó, Ṣàdẹ̀ là etc, these names derive from the Òrìṣàálá otherwise
called Ọbàtálá deity.  Ṣàdáre is an hyphenated form of Òrìṣàdáre. The word Orisha whenever
used alone invariably refers to Ọbàtálá otherwise called Òrìṣànlá. So
those names are names of people named after the Òrìṣàálá deity.  Ṣàdáre then would
mean Ọbàtálá has vindicated (me). Ṣàdẹ̀ kó would mean that an Ọbàtálá worshipper has arrived
at Èkó (Lagos). Ṣàdẹ̀ là would mean Ọbàtálá has arrived into wealth.
Akérédolú (re|mi|mi|re|mi) means he who reduces himself in order to become a king. He who
humbles himself to become a king like the title of that play “She Stoops To Conquer” by Oliver
Goldsmith.  
 Adéwuyì (re|mi|re|do) means the crown grows honour, that is, the crown produces honour.
 Ọlọ́fà (re|mi|do) means the owner of arrows or the master or lord of arrows. It is another war
title that has become a name and it is the title given to those whose weapons of war in battle is
the bow and arrow, that is archers.  
 Alókoláàrọ́ (re|mi|re|mi|do|mi) means he who has a large farm and also has a cooperative
society to assist him to do the farm work. Aarọ́ is a cooperative system among
the Yorùbá whereby the members agree to work jointly in the farm of each member of the
group in turn until they have finished the farm-work of all the members.  
 Ọlọ́wẹ̀  (re|mi|do) means he who has an ọ̀ wẹ̀ (do|do) cooperative group. Ọ̀ wẹ̀  is another type
of cooperative society whereby the members assist each other to work in the farm of each
other. Olowe is thus somebody who has a large number of people at his beck and call whom he
can call upon to assist him any time in his farm or other work 
 Apara (re|re|re) is short for Apara-ogun-bí–ẹní-palé (re|re|re|re|re|mi|re|mi|re|mi) implies
he who sets war at naught. It means literally somebody who gets ready for war as easily as
other people get ready for home affairs.  
 Ọkọ́ya (re|mi|re) means the hoe has torn into pieces. It is an Àbíkú name. It implies an
imploration to the Àbíkú not to die again as the hoe for burial has torn into pieces. 
 Ọkọ́ṣẹ́ means the hoe has broken, same as Ọkọ́ya. 
 Pópóọla (mi|mi|re|mi) means the avenue of Honour or nobility. Pópó (mi|mi) means a broad
street or avenue, Ọlá means honour or nobility. 
 Adéṣiyan (re|mi|re|re) means the crown is good.
 Adélabú (re|mi|mi) means the crown has passed through the deep (the sea).
Bánmẹ́kẹ́ (mi|re|mi|mi) means hold or sustain the rafter of the house with me. Ẹkẹ (re|re) is
the underlying structure upon which the leaves used to roof the house was be placed. It served
the purpose now served by the rafter as forming the superstructure of the roof. It thus a very
important part of the house or family. 
Fáladé (mi|re|mi) means the god of divination has intermingled with royalty, probably a name
given to a child who was born of an Ifá priesthood parent and a royal parent, like the mother of
the first Olówu (re|mi|re) who being a princess married his father’s priest. 
 Ọláníyan (re|mi|mi|re) means nobility has swagger, that is to say noble people have a special
way in which they carry themselves.
Adélékè or Délékè (re|mi|mi|do) means he who comes to become a very important part of the
house. Eke (the rafter) being the superstructure of the roof. The Adé there is not crown but is
from the verb dé meaning to come or arrive. 
Ọlúwùsì (re|mi|do|do) means kingship has increased.
Adébọ́ṣìn (re|mi|mi|do) means he that came to meet kingship.
Ọṣìnbàjò (re|do|mi|do|do) – Ọṣìn-bọ̀ -làjò – means the king has returned from a
journey. Ọṣìn (re|do) means king. Bọ̀  means to come back from àjò (do|do) which means a
journey. 
Aṣáájú or Aṣíwájú (re|re|mi|mi) means the leader of the van. It is the war title of the chief of
the unit that fights at the head of the army. 
Séríkí derived from the Hausa word for king Sarkin. He is the head of all the junior war chiefs.
 Sàrùmí (do|do|mi) is another war title given to the head of the Cavalry, that is the unit of the
army that fight with horses or on horseback.
 Aláásà (re|mi|mi|do) is a war title that has now become a name. It does not refer
to aasa tobacco, but to asà (re|do) the shield. Aláásà means the owner or lord of the shield,
that is the shield bearer, perhaps of the king. 
Òòṣàdípẹ̀  or. Òrìṣàdípẹ̀ . The deity (Obatala) has used this one (the newly born baby) to console
by using him to replace a loss recently suffered by the family.  
Ṣọ́nibárẹ́ (mi|re|mi|mi) – Ṣọ́-ẹni-tí–ò-nbá-ṣe-ọ̀ rẹ́ – means be careful in choosing whom you
allow to get close to you.  
Èésúọlá (do|mi|mi|re|mi) means the pool that is the reservoir of honour or nobility  
Bámgbégbìn (mi|re|mi|do) means assist me to carry the Igbin. It is a name borne by drummers
for Orisala worship. (Igbin is the drum beaten in the worship of Òrìṣàálá/Ọbàtálá deity).
Tẹ̀ là (Tẹ̀ llà) (do|do) – Tẹ̀ ẹ́-kó-là (do|mi|mi|do) – is a name borne only by Ọ̀ yọ́ princes and it
means bend or bow in order to become wealthy.  
Ọládòyìbó (re|mi|do|do|mi) – Ọlá-da-iyì-bòó – means Honour surrounds him.
 Ọlásọpé (re|mi|re|mi) means honour has emerged completely.  
Kòtóyẹ́ (do|mi|mi) is short for Kò-tó-yẹ́-sí  (do|mi|mi|mi), which means not worthy of being
honoured, a name given to a child believed to be an Àbíkú because the Yorùbá believe that
such a child if shown any love or regard by being given sweet and affectionate names would go
back to his group of bad children but if shown he is despised and of scant regard and is
expected by his parents to die anytime, he would stay; because Abikus have a perverse
tendency to do just the opposite of what you expect them to do. For that reason, they are given
derogatory names like Kòtóyẹ́sí Ajá (dog) etc. 
Bámgbóṣé (mi|re|mi|mi) means assist me in carrying the Oṣe, that is Sango’s wand. It is a
name given to children born by Ṣàngó worshippers.