Names are not casually given among the Yorubas. Instead, they are carefully chosen.
In some cases, a name reveals a great deal about the child. Yorubas who are conversant with their culture and traditions can find clues that points to social background, family trades and circumstances of birth from a name.
The best illustration of the importance of names comes from the encounter of a European explorer (believed to be Clapperton) with the Oníkòyí of Ìkòyí, one of the most powerful chiefs in the old Oyo Empire (The story comes from the History Of The Yorubas by Samuel Johnson). The explorer, wanting to end the civil war among Oyo chiefs convinced Oníkòyí to convene a peace meeting.
After all the chiefs agreed to a truce, the Olukoyi called his emissary to announce the peace deal. Unfortunately, the emissary was named Káfilégboin, which means let’s have it on the stiff. Everything unravelled because the other chiefs believed the name of the emissary betrayed the intention of the powerful Oníkòyí. This shows that naming is a serious activity among the Yorubas.
There are at least three ways in which a child could acquire its names among the Yorubas:
(1)Àmútòrunwá – This is the name a child is born with and often reflects how or when the child was born:
(a)Children born during a festive season (e.g. Christmas). These children would most likely be named “Abíódún” (translated born during a festival) or Abódúndé (came during a festival) . Of course there are several other names.
(b)Children born on a Sunday. A girl born on Sunday could be called Abósèdé (arrived with the new week).
(c)Children born on the way to the hospital. Those children could be named Abíónà (born on the way).
(d)Twins. The first to arrive of the twins is Táíyé or Táíwò while the last is Kéhìndé, whom the Yoruba believe is the oldest: Omó Kéhìndé ó dì ègbón (the last to arrive is the older). Furthermore, the child that follows a set of twins is called Ìdòwù, while the one that follows Ìdòwù is automatically Àlàbà.
(e)A child emerging from the womb with its feet (breech) is called Ìgè.
(f)Children that emerged with the umbilical cord twisted around their necks are Òjó (for the boy) and Àìnà for the girl.
(g)When the father or grandfather died when the child is in utero, if he is a boy, he could be called Babatúnde and if a girl, Yétúndé.
(h)A child born with curly hair could be called Dàda.
(2)Names Given By Parents
Names are also given to children by parents. This could reflect circumstances of the family, the mood of the parents or their aspirations for the child. Apart from peculiar situations, Yoruba names are generally positive and full of aspiration. Yorubas believe in positive confessions.
(b)A name such as Adeleke could be interpreted as a confession that this child we prevail over its peers.
(a)A name reflecting family circumstances. For example, children born into royal families may have prefixes of Adé (crown), Olá (honour) and Oyè (title) but over time these are now used by everybody.
(c)Prefixes of names could indicate ancestral gods or family trades. For example a worshipper of Sàngó, the god of thunder can name his child Sàngóléké which means that Sango has prevailed. This could be the worshipper’s expression of gratitude to Sàngó. in the same vein, a worshipper of Ògún, the god of Iron can name his child Ògúnrántí (which means Ogun remembered). Hunters can prefix the name of their children with Ode (which means hunter). Drummers can prefix the names of their children with Àyàn (which means drummer). An example would be Àyàntúndé (the drummer has come again).
(c)Some names are given to deter the child from dying too young. The Yorubas of old believed in “Àbíkú”, these are children who the Yoruba of old believed knew when they would die before coming into the world. Such children are given names that the Yorubas believe would discourage them from dying young. Such names include “Málomó” (don’t go again), “Dúrósèjé” (wait to fulfill your promise) .
(3)Oríkì
There are two dimensions to oríkì. Some Yorubas have a name that is known only by their close family members. These are names like Àyòfé (we rejoice to love this child), Àpínké (all of use would look after this child). These are endearing names. This the first dimension of the oriki. The second dimension of oriki is a poem that is shared by the whole family. When the oriki is called, it is combined with the family poem. This poem tells about the attributes of the family, at times it talks about their ancestral god and may also refer to their achievements. A family oriki will make family members proud of their heritage.
It is not just families that have oriki, Yoruba villages, towns and cities also have oriki. For example, this is the oriki of Ìràgbíjí, a town in Osun State, South Western Nigeria:
Ìrágbíjì, olókè méjì. (Iragbiji, noted for its two hills)
Tako tabo lórí Aágba (The two hills prevail over Aagba, a neigbouring town)
Òkán rélulè ókù kan (one of the hills fell down but one remained)
The story behind this oriki was that there was dispute over ownership between Aagba, a nearby town, and Iragbiji on the two hills. Apparently, the king of Iragbiji pronounced that if the two hills belong to Iragbiji, one should fall down while the other remains. Obviously, Aagba’s oriki will be radically different and may express an opposite sentiment.
Naming Among Modern Yorubas
Every generation comes with its own innovation. As the Yorubas became more Christian in the last forty years, the names of their children reflected this. Now we have names like Tijésùnimí (I belong to Jesus), Jésùtófúnmi (Jesus is enough for me). Other names that did not exist (or at least were not common) a few decades ago have being created by modern Yorubas. Examples are Nífèmi (love me), Semílóre (bless me), Támílóre (I have been given a special blessing).
The beauty of the Yoruba language and the culture is that parents can always be creative about the names given to their children, nothing stops a parent from manufacturing a brand new name that expresses his/her aspirations for the child.
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