Fun Facts About the Name Ife
- 202 babies named Ife: U.S. records list 202 babies given the name Ife from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ife Mean?
Ife is a Yoruba name meaning "love." It comes from the Yoruba noun ifẹ́, which is tied to the verb fẹ́, "to love" or "to desire." In Yoruba, personal names are often shortened from longer sentence-names for everyday use, and Ife frequently serves as the short form of names such as Ifeoluwa, "the love of God," and other compounds beginning with ifẹ́. Used on its own, the name keeps the plain sense of the noun: love.
The name is spelled the same as Ilé-Ifẹ̀, the ancient Yoruba city, but the two are best kept apart. The city name's origin is not settled and may rest on a different root, possibly the verb fẹ̀, "to spread" or "expand," rather than on ifẹ́, "love." In Igbo, ife means "thing" and appears inside compound names such as Ifeoma and Ifeanyi, but that element is not the source of the standalone Yoruba name Ife.
Ife Name History & Origins
Ife belongs to the Yoruba naming tradition of southwestern Nigeria and neighboring Yoruba-speaking areas of Benin and Togo. Yoruba names are commonly built from full phrases or sentences, then clipped to a shorter form for daily use; Ife works this way both as an independent given name and as the familiar shortening of Ifeoluwa and similar names. The element ifẹ́, "love," also appears in Yoruba personal names in other positions and combinations, which has kept the short form Ife in circulation alongside the longer names it can stand for.
The identical word is attached to Ilé-Ifẹ̀, the city in Osun State that Yoruba tradition treats as the birthplace of creation and the seat of Oduduwa, ancestral figure of the Yoruba. That traditional account is religious and historical tradition rather than documented chronology, and the town's name may derive from an unrelated verb root, so the city and the personal name should not be conflated even though they look alike.
Because the name is Yoruba, it moved with Yoruba speakers and their descendants, including those carried to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade. Yoruba language, religion, and naming customs survived in Cuba, Brazil, and Trinidad, and Yoruba-derived names remain in use in Nigeria and in Yoruba communities abroad.
How Popular is the Name Ife?
Ife has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1977. Its best rank was #4,291 in 1977.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #10,090 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #16,823 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #17,472 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #12,348 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #11,627 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #17,805 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #18,564 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #14,129 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #15,202 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #10,940 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #9,809 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #13,784 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #10,327 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #9,743 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #9,628 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #5,063 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1980 | #7,650 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1979 | #10,764 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #7,191 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #4,291 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1976 | #9,825 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #9,588 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #4,306 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1973 | #5,001 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #6,805 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #8,781 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #7,394 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with I
Short Girl Names That Start with I
How the Name Ife Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Ife's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ife's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.