Ajayi

Ajayi is a surname of Yoruba origin, common among Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria and in communities abroad. The name is widely found in Nigeria, especially among Yoruba-speaking communities in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, and Ekiti states, and in the Nigerian diaspora. As with many Yoruba names, Ajayi is linked to family lineage and heritage; the exact meaning and origin can vary by clan or family, and it may be passed down through generations regardless of location.

In modern times, Ajayi appears across many fields, including sports, academia, business, politics, and the arts, reflecting the dispersion of Yoruba communities across the world. The name is also found in other countries through migration and settlement, notably in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and other parts of Africa.

As a given name, Ajayi is far less common but occurs in some cases where family surnames are used as first names or where naming patterns differ by culture. The spelling Ajayi has several closely related variants due to transliteration and regional orthography, but the form Ajayi is the standard in widely used English-language texts.