UK girl's name
Ife
One who bears the beauty and essence of love.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2019. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ife is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Ife popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2019 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4686, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 4 births.
This profile covers 7 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2010 to 2019. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Ife is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 7 living people in the UK are called Ife. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2020 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ife ranked #4686 for girls in England and Wales in 2019, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2019, when 4 girls were registered as Ife.
- • About 7 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ife as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4686
2019
Births in 2019
4
Latest year
Peak year
2019
4 births
Estimated living
7
2026
Meaning
What does Ife mean?
The name Ife originates from the Yoruba people of West Africa, particularly from the ancient city of Ile-Ife in present-day Nigeria. Ile-Ife is considered the cradle of the Yoruba civilization and is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and historical significance. The name Ife is believed to be derived from the Yoruba phrase "Ile Fe," which translates to "Love Abode" or "Abode of Love."
According to Yoruba mythology, Ile-Ife was the place where the world was created, and it served as the spiritual and political center of the Yoruba kingdom. The name Ife is deeply rooted in the Yoruba tradition and carries a sense of reverence and connection to the ancestral homeland.
Historically, the name Ife has been associated with various notable figures within the Yoruba community. One of the earliest recorded examples is Oduduwa, the legendary progenitor of the Yoruba people, who is believed to have established the Ife kingdom around the 7th century AD.
In the 19th century, Ife gained international recognition through the works of Samuel Ajayi Crowther (1809-1891), a Yoruba scholar, linguist, and the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria. Crowther played a significant role in documenting and preserving the Yoruba language and culture.
Another prominent figure associated with the name Ife is Wole Soyinka (born 1934), the renowned Nigerian playwright, poet, and essayist. Soyinka, a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, has extensively explored and celebrated Yoruba culture and mythology in his literary works.
In the realm of visual arts, Ife is known for the remarkable terracotta sculptures and metalwork produced by the ancient Ife civilization. These artifacts, dating back to the 12th-15th centuries, are widely regarded as masterpieces of African art and have influenced generations of artists and scholars.
Additionally, the name Ife has been carried by notable individuals such as Ife Basim (born 1948), a Nigerian writer and academic, and Ife Amadiume (born 1947), a Nigerian anthropologist and feminist scholar known for her contributions to gender studies and African philosophy.
The name Ife continues to hold significant cultural and historical importance within the Yoruba community and beyond, serving as a reminder of the rich heritage and legacy of one of Africa's oldest and most influential civilizations.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ife over time
The chart below shows babies named Ife registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2010 to 2019. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ife, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2019, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ife by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ife was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #5197 | 7 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Ife
- Isabella 58,822
- Isla 51,854
- Isabelle 46,163
- Imogen 33,758
- Ivy 23,306
- Isabel 20,895
- Isobel 19,706
- Iris 10,353
- India 8,371
- Iqra 4,452
- Indie 3,873
- Iona 3,682
FAQ
Ife: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ife in the UK right now?
In 2019, Ife was ranked #4686 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Ife most popular?
The peak year on record was 2019, with 4 babies registered as Ife in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ife?
One who bears the beauty and essence of love.
How many people are called Ife in the UK?
A total of 7 babies have been registered as Ife across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.