Oluwanifemi
Child with God's beauty or gift from God.
Name Census estimates that about 389 living Americans carry the first name Oluwanifemi. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 60.2% of registrations being female. The average person named Oluwanifemi today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oluwanifemi births was 2016 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oluwanifemi. 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 Oluwanifemi with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
389
~ 1 in 881,117 Americans
Peak year
2016
34 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2020 SSA rank
#8,543
Tracked since 2003
Gender
Gender distribution for Oluwanifemi
Oluwanifemi is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 392 total registrations, 156 (39.8%) were male and 236 (60.2%) were female.
Oluwanifemi as a male name
- Ranked #8,543 in 2020
- 9 male births in 2020
- Peak: 2014 (18 births)
Oluwanifemi as a female name
- Ranked #11,852 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (21 births)
Popularity
Oluwanifemi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oluwanifemi from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 245 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oluwanifemi 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 Oluwanifemi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Oluwanifemis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Oluwanifemi
Oluwanifemi is a given name of Yoruba origin, stemming from the language and culture of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. The name is a combination of the words "Oluwa" meaning "God" or "Lord," "ni" meaning "to possess," and "femi" meaning "love me." Therefore, the name can be interpreted as "The Lord loves me."
The earliest known use of the name Oluwanifemi dates back to the 16th century, during the height of the Oyo Empire in present-day Nigeria. It is believed to have been given to children as a way of expressing gratitude to the divine for their blessing of a child and as a reminder of the love and protection bestowed upon them by the higher power.
In the 18th century, the name Oluwanifemi gained prominence among the Yoruba people, particularly within the royal families and nobility. One notable figure bearing this name was Oluwanifemi Ajayi, a respected chief and advisor to the Alaafin (King) of Oyo in the late 1700s.
As the Yoruba diaspora spread across West Africa and beyond, the name Oluwanifemi was carried with it. In the 19th century, a prominent Oluwanifemi was Oluwanifemi Elegbede, a renowned scholar and teacher who contributed significantly to the preservation of Yoruba language and culture.
Another historical figure of note was Oluwanifemi Ogunmola (1880-1958), a pioneering Nigerian businesswoman and philanthropist who played a crucial role in the development of commerce and education in her community.
In the 20th century, one of the most celebrated individuals bearing the name was Oluwanifemi Awojobi (1920-1998), a renowned Nigerian artist and sculptor whose works captured the essence of Yoruba culture and traditions.
While the name Oluwanifemi has its roots in the Yoruba culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and has been embraced by individuals of various ethnic backgrounds, particularly in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, as a name that symbolizes the divine love and protection bestowed upon a child.
People
Oluwanifemi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oluwanifemi 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
Oluwanifemi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oluwanifemi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 389 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oluwanifemi 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 881,117 US residents.
Is Oluwanifemi a common name?
We classify Oluwanifemi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 392 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oluwanifemi most popular?
The single biggest year for Oluwanifemi was 2016, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oluwanifemi is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Oluwanifemi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oluwanifemi a female name?
Yes, 60.2% of people registered as Oluwanifemi 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 Oluwanifemi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oluwanifemi 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 Oluwanifemi 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Oluwanifemi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.