Ayo - Name Meaning and Popularity -

Meaning of Ayo

Ayo is a male given name of Yoruba origin, deriving from the vernacular term for “joy” and pronounced AH-yo (/ˈɑjoʊ/) in both its Nigerian context and within Anglo-American usage. The name’s morphological economy belies a rich cultural resonance, reflecting a central tenet of Yoruba philosophy while simultaneously illustrating patterns of diasporic nomenclature adoption. According to U.S. Social Security data, Ayo first entered national records in 1973 with five occurrences at rank 646 and has since maintained a modest yet steady presence, with annual tallies ranging from five to twelve and ranking between 903 and 938 during the period from 2014 through 2024. This consistent, albeit limited, registration trajectory underscores the name’s dual function as an emblem of Yoruba heritage and as a subtle indicator of the evolving multicultural landscape of naming practices in the United States.