Yoruba name
names associated with Yoruba culture
Yorùbá names are the given names adopted primarily by speakers of the Yoruba language and the Yoruba diaspora.
Naming ceremonies
Originally, male Yorùbá children were named on the eighth day after their birth, while the female child was named on the seventh day. However, nowadays, both genders are named on the seventh day or eighth day. The names of the children are traditionally found by divination performed by a group of Babalawo – traditional Ifá priests, but in recent times names can also come from those of ranking members of the family, including the father, mother, grandparents, or next of kin. Both the mother and father and other elderly relatives can give their own favorite names to the child or children. That is why the Yorùbás usually have a long list of names. Baby names often come from the grandparents and great grandparents of the child to be named. The name traditionally divined by the Babaláwo indicates the Òrìṣà that guides the child and whether the child is a reincarnated ancestor and the destiny of the child and the spiritual entities that will assist the child in achieving it. There is first a private ceremony for just the parents where the names are given along with taboos for the child and parents and suggestions on what the child will need to be successful. Some days after that a public ceremony with feasting and entertainment is held and family and friends are all invited to celebrate the arrival of the child.
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This entry incorporates text from “Yoruba name” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.