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