Olayinka
A feminine Yoruba name meaning "wealth is worth more than money".
Name Census estimates that about 105 living Americans carry the first name Olayinka. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 55.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Olayinka today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olayinka births was 1984 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olayinka. 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 Olayinka with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
105
~ 1 in 3,264,327 Americans
Peak year
1984
11 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,573
Tracked since 1973
Census
Olayinka in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,060 people with the first name Olayinka, which placed it at #11,914 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,914
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,060 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
97.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olayinka
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Olayinka is Black at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Hispanic (0.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Olayinka 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Olayinka at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American97.1% · 1,029
- Two or more races1.2% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 8
- White0.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Olayinka
Olayinka is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 110 total registrations, 49 (44.5%) were male and 61 (55.5%) were female.
Olayinka as a male name
- Ranked #13,573 in 2018
- 5 male births in 2018
- Peak: 1991 (8 births)
Olayinka as a female name
- Ranked #17,246 in 2001
- 5 female births in 2001
- Peak: 1997 (8 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Olayinka on both sides of the split. Of the 1,061 people counted with this name, 434 were male (40.9%) and 627 were female (59.1%).
Popularity
Olayinka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olayinka from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 34 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olayinka 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 Olayinka 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 Olayinka
Olayinka is a Yoruba name originating from southwestern Nigeria. It is a combination of two words from the Yoruba language: "ola" meaning wealth or fortune, and "yinka" meaning to walk with or follow. Thus, the literal meaning of Olayinka is "wealth follows" or "wealth walks with."
The name can be traced back to the Yoruba people of West Africa, an ethnic group known for their rich cultural heritage and traditions. The Yoruba language is one of the most widely spoken languages in Nigeria and has influenced many aspects of Nigerian culture, including naming practices.
While the exact origin of the name Olayinka is difficult to pinpoint, it is believed to have been in use for several centuries. Some historical records suggest that the name was popular among the Yoruba people during the height of the Oyo Empire, which ruled over a significant portion of present-day southwestern Nigeria from the 16th to the 19th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olayinka can be found in the writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba linguist and the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria. Crowther, who lived from 1809 to 1891, played a significant role in promoting Yoruba language and culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Olayinka. One such person was Olayinka Oluwole Adeosun (1906-1992), a Nigerian lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Natural Resources and Social Services in the First Republic of Nigeria.
Another prominent figure was Olayinka Elebuibon (born 1949), a renowned Nigerian chief and traditional priest who has played a crucial role in preserving and promoting Yoruba culture and traditions.
In the realm of literature, Olayinka Tunji Akinshiju (born 1939) is a renowned Nigerian poet and playwright whose works have been widely acclaimed for their exploration of Yoruba culture and themes.
The name Olayinka has also gained recognition in the world of sports. Olayinka Sanni (born 1974) is a retired Nigerian basketball player who represented Nigeria in several international competitions, including the Olympic Games.
Another notable bearer of the name is Olayinka Omigbodun (born 1952), a Nigerian academic and psychiatrist who has made significant contributions to the field of child and adolescent mental health in Africa.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Olayinka throughout history, showcasing the rich cultural heritage and significance of this name within the Yoruba community and beyond.
People
Olayinka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olayinka 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
Olayinka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olayinka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 105 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olayinka 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 3,264,327 US residents.
Is Olayinka a common name?
We classify Olayinka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 110 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olayinka most popular?
The single biggest year for Olayinka was 1984, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olayinka is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Olayinka in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,060 people with the name Olayinka, or 0.35 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,914 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Olayinka in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Olayinka?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Olayinka on both sides of the split. Of the 1,061 people counted with this name, 434 were male (40.9%) and 627 were female (59.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Olayinka?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Olayinka is Black at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Hispanic (0.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Olayinka most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Olayinka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (1,029 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Olayinka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Olayinka a female name?
Yes, 55.5% of people registered as Olayinka in the SSA data are female. 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 Olayinka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Olayinka 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 Olayinka 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.
How common is the name Olayinka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.