Yoruba Names And Their Meanings.

Because the words that make up the roots of many Yoruba names are no longer used, many of them have lost their meaning.

For instance, if you inquire about the meaning of the young Master Olopade’s name, he will probably tell you that it means “policeman has come.” If you asked his father, Mr. Olopade, he probably would tell you that it means “the owner of the staff has come.”

Both of them would be off-base as Olopade really signifies “the Opa lover has come”. All other Opa names, such as Opatola, Opadotun, and so on, are the same. These names indicate that the people who gave them their names were members of the Opa Cult, also known as Awo Opa, one of the religion cults or secret societies that were banned by the British during colonial times.
Or consider a different scenario: Deacon Ogunyemi is being asked to change his name by Pastor Obafemi, the pastor of a Pentecostal church. Obafemi believes that the deacon’s name is associated with Ogun, an idol, but he is unaware that his own name is also idolatrous in its origin.

Even Professor Wole Soyinka described the meaning of his surname Soyinka as being “surrounded by wizards” in his book “The Man Died.” This is not the case at all. The Yoruba god of agriculture Orisaoko is the source of names like Soyinka, Sonekan, Sonuga, and others, not the wizard “Oso.” The name Soyinka in full is Orisaokoyinka which became abbreviated by a steady declension to Sookoyinka, Sooyinka lastly to Soyinka. All of the other “Soo…” names are the same.

In the event that an entire Teacher Soyinka, an expert of writing and language can be hence mixed up on the determination and importance of his own name, what might be said about we lesser humans. I am publishing this brief work through this medium to dispel these various misconceptions.

This list is by no means complete, and additional suggestions are welcome so that it can be written down for future generations to keep the meanings of Yoruba names alive.

You are also welcome to inquire about the meaning of your Yoruba name.

The “Oku” names like Okusanya, Okusehinde, Okusaga and so forth are not gotten from “Oku” do-mi, a dead individual. They are gotten from “Okù” the Ijebu divine force of abundance which compares to ” Ajé” the Oyo Yoruba lord of riches. Consequently Okusanya implies the lord of abundance has compensated me for my sufferings and not dead individual has compensated me for my sufferings.

Ore names such as Oresanya, Oredipe, and so on They come from Ore, re-do (a deity), not from Ore, do-mi (a friend).

Ope Names like Opeseyi, Opetola and so on don’t get from Ope, do-re, palm tree but instead from Ope, do, an Ifa divining chain.

Onigbinde, Igbintade, and other Igbin names are not derived from Igbin, do-mi, which means “snail,” but rather from Igbin, re-re, which means “a drum beaten for the worship of the Orisaala.” These people’s ancestors worked as drummers for Orisaala worshippers.

These names, Onasanya and Onabajo, are not derived from ona (road), but rather from ona (craft). People whose ancestors were artisans, such as sculptors or other artists, would be the bearers of these names.

Alalade is not derived from ala do-mi (dream), but rather from ala do-do (white), which is the symbol of the Orisala or Obatala deity and signifies that the owner of ala has arrived—the Orisala devotee has arrived—rather than the dreamer, as many people have interpreted it to mean.

Sunny Ade sang Elegbede re-mi-mi-mi when he sang “Aya Dehinde mi kaabo, Elegbede, Abiola Fernandez ku eto” on one of his records for the Erelu of Lagos. Elegbede is not derived from egbe, re-mi, which is the alleged magical means of teleportation.

The word “support” in egbe do-do gives rise to the name. In this way the name is all the more appropriately articulated as Elegbede re-mi-do mi (the protector, the person who will battle or support my objective) has come.

The onipede is not derived from ipe do-do (consolation), but rather from ipe do-mi (fish scales). Therefore, instead of being pronounced “Onipede re-mi-vi-mi,” which means “the owner of scales has come,” it should be pronounced “Onipede re-mi-do-mi-mi,” which means “the consoler has come.” The names Baba re-re and Oba re-re, such as “Babasanya,” “Babafemi,” “Obadare,” “Obafemi,” and “Obas

In order to ensure that he would not kill them, the small-pox god Sonponna, who was reverently referred to as Baba in earlier times, is the source of both of their origins. Assuming that you will review, In times past, the imprints left on the essences of anybody who recuperated from little pox assault used to be alluded to as Ila-Baba, that is father’s imprints.

On page 45 of his most recent book, My Watch, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo explained the origin of his name, Obasanjo, which gave us a better understanding of the names that start with the letter O.

The ups and downs in my father’s life were inexplicable to me. He was not only a hard worker but also a firm believer in proper conduct and manners; a positive attitude in almost all situations; respect for everyone, young and old alike.

He was a good father, shrewd and self-assured—the majority of people in the village and many from nearby villages sought his advice—and always sober and compassionate. My dad’s social beverage was new palmwine, which contains almost no liquor before it ages. However, my father began abruptly taking ogogoro, a local gin.

It is said that the drink is harsh and makes you feel drunk. Things started to get worse for my father as he drank this beverage. He turned to alcohol. People were worried and wondered. My mother began to seek answers from diviners and inquire about the gods. They came up with the response that my father was an abiku, which means that he was reborn from the same parents after dying.

They added that my great-grandmother sought a child through the smallpox deity Obaluaiye when she was at her wits’ end and desperately wanted to have a child. It was assumed that my father’s new lifestyle was brought on by our family’s neglect of Obaluaiye. My sister Wola had to become a worshiper and participate in all of Obaluaiye’s rituals in order to appease the deity.

After that, it became clear to me that my father was given the name Obasanjo to show his gratitude to Obaluaiye for providing my grandmother with a surviving child. All of this eventually struck me as superstition anyway. In any case, my father’s steady, gradual decline in fortune did not stop until he passed away in early 1960. My sister wedded a Muslim and disregarded loving Obaluaiye and rehearsing its ceremonies”

From this one can see that the Oba in Obasanjo, Obafemi, got from Obaluwaye in any case called Sonponna, the divine force of little pox and doesn’t get from ruler.

Therefore, in the aforementioned hypothetical scenario, Pastor Obafemi would be wise to remove the obstruction from his own eyes by first changing his own name before requesting that Deacon Ogunyemi change his name.

Oloko re-mi-do does not come from oko re-do, which means lorry or canoe, nor does it mean the owner of either. Instead, it comes from oko do-do, which means spear, and it means the owner, master, or lord of the spear. It is a name that was once a war title. It is the title borne by the gathering of fighters whose picked weapons of fighting is the extra.

Adekogbe re-mi-do-mi does not imply that the crown rejects excrement, just as igbe do-mi does not imply excrement in the name; instead, it refers to a bush or light forest. The name means “the crown rejects the bush,” which means that a prince shouldn’t do farming or manual labor. The Ijebus are one of the Yoruba tribes that is more opposed to farm work or manual labor than any other Yoruba tribe, so Adekogbe is a popular name for them. Instead, they prefer to trade.

Ade re-mi names like Adeboye, Adebayo, and Adebola do not come from the word “ade,” which means “crown,” but rather from the verb “de,” which means “to come.” Adeboye refers to the individual who arrived at a time when the family had just accepted chieftaincy.

Adebola translates to “he who comes to meet when wealth has just come into the family,” while Adebayo translates to “he who comes to meet when a thing of joy has just come into the family.”

In addition to the names that have been misunderstood, other Yoruba names now have new meanings because many people no longer know what they mean.

The Orisala deity, also known as Obatala, is the source of the names Shadare, Sadeko, and Sadela. Shadare is a joined type of Orishadare.

Obatala, also known as Orisala, is always referred to when the word “Orisha” is used by itself. Therefore, those are people whose names are derived from the Orishala deity. Therefore, Obatala (me) has been found not guilty by Shadare or Sadare. Sadela would indicate that Obatala has arrived in wealth, while Sadeko would indicate that a worshipper of Obatala has arrived in Eko (Lagos).

Akeredolu re-mi-mi-re-mi refers to the individual who self-degrades in order to ascend to kinghood. He who lowers himself to turn into a ruler like the title of that play She Goes as far as Overcome by Oliver Goldsmith.

Adewuyi re-mi-re-try implies the crown develops honor, that is the crown produces honor. Olofa re-mi-do refers to the master or lord of arrows or the owner of arrows. It is the name given to those who use the bow and arrow as their weapons of war in battle—archers—and it is another war title that has become a name.

Alokolaro means “he who has a large farm and also has a cooperative society to assist him in doing the work on the farm.” Aaro is a Yoruba cooperative system in which each member agrees to work together on the farm of each other until they have completed all of the members’ farmwork.

Olowe re-mi-do refers to an individual with a cooperative group of owe do-do. Another type of cooperative society is owed, in which members collaborate with one another to perform farmwork. As a result, Olowe is someone who is able to call on a large number of people whenever he needs help with his farm or other work. Apara re-re is short for Aparaogunbienipale re-re-re-re-mi-re-mi-re-mi. implies the one who causes war to fail. It implies in a real sense someone who prepares for battle as effectively as others prepare for home issues.

The word “okoya re-mi-re-mi” refers to the broken hoe. It comes from Abiku. Due to the broken burial hoe, it suggests an appeal to the Abiku not to die again. Similar to Okoya, the word “okose” refers to the broken hoe. The avenue of honor or nobility is called popoola. Adesiyan means “the crown is good,” Adelabu means “the crown has passed through the deep” (the sea), and Banmeke means “hold or sustain the rafter of the house with me.” Ola means “honor” or “nobility.” Popo means “a broad street or avenue.” Squeeze is the fundamental construction whereupon the goes out was be set. As the roof’s superstructure, it served the same function as the rafter. As a result, it plays a crucial role in the household or family.

Falade is probably a name given to a child born to Ifa priesthood parents and royal parents, like the princess mother of the first Olowu who married his father’s priest. It means that the divination god has mixed with royalty.

Adedeke or Dedeke re-mi-re-mi means he who comes to become a very important part of the house. Olaniyan means nobility has swagger, which means noble people have a special way of carrying themselves. The roof’s superstructure is called Eke, or the rafter. The Ade there is not a crown; rather, it comes from the verb de, which means to arrive or come.

Oluwusi denotes an increase in kingship, Adebosin denotes a person who came to meet kingship, and Osinbajo denotes the king’s return from a journey. Osin re-do refers to a king. Bo means to return from ajo do which implies an excursion.

Asaju re-mi-mi refers to the van’s leader. It is the conflict title of the head of the unit that battles at the top of the military. Seriki is derived from sarkin, a Hausa word for king. He is the top of all the lesser conflict bosses, Sarumi do-mi is one more conflict title given to the top of the Cavalry, that is the unit of the military that battle with ponies or riding a horse.

Alasa re-mi-mi-do is a name that used to be a war title. Asa the shield, not aasa tobacco, is the subject of the phrase. Alasa refers to the shield bearer, also known as the owner or lord of the shield. Asa means protection.

Oshadipe. Orishadipe. Obatala, the god, has used this one, the newly born baby, to console the family by replacing a recent loss. Sonibare means to be cautious when choosing who gets close to you. The word “eesuola” refers to the reservoir of honor or nobility.

Bamgbegbin means to aid me in carrying the Igbin. Drummers gave it the name for Orisala worship. In the worship of the Orisaala/Obatala deity, Igbin is played. Oyo princes are the only ones who can use the name Tella do-do, which means to bend or bow in order to become wealthy.

Oladoyibo re-mi do-mi implies Honor encompasses him. Olasope re-mi-re-mi means that honor has completely emerged.

Kotoye do-mi-mi is an abbreviation for Kotoyesi do-mi-mi-mi-mi, which means “not worthy of being honored.” This is the name given to a child who is believed to be an Abiku. The Yorubas believe that such a child would return to his group of bad children if he were shown any love or regard by being given sweet and affectionate names, but if he was shown that he is because Abikus have a bizarre propensity to act in the exact opposite direction of what you expect them to. As a result, they are referred to with derogatory names like Kotoyesi, Aja (dog), and so forth.