| Ayo | Ife | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Joy | Love |
| Origin | Yoruba | yoruba |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | AH-yoh | EE-feh |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1973 | 1970 |
| Peak year | 2021 (12) | 1977 (16) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ayo | Ife |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 42 | 0 |
| 2010s | 38 | 42 |
| 2000s | 23 | 18 |
| 1990s | 19 | 20 |
| 1980s | 11 | 40 |
| 1970s | 22 | 82 |
Ayo means “joy” in Yoruba.
From Yoruba ife, 'love.' It also serves as a short form of theophoric names such as Ifeoluwa ('love of God'). A distinct, unrelated Yoruba word Ife also names the ancient city Ile-Ife.
Ayo and Ife are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Ayo means Joy (Yoruba origin), while Ife means Love (yoruba origin).
In US records, Ayo first appears in 1973 and Ife in 1970, so Ife has the longer recorded history.