UK name, mostly boys
Taiwo
Yoruba name for the firstborn in a set of twins.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 129 girls.
Taiwo is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Taiwo popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 10 births.
This profile covers 134 England and Wales registrations across 24 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. 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.
The latest count is about 30% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 133 living people in the UK are called Taiwo. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Taiwo ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2013, when 10 boys were registered as Taiwo.
- • Taiwo is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 133 living people in the UK are estimated to have Taiwo as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 51.0% of Taiwo registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5119
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2013
10 births
Estimated living
133
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Taiwo
In England and Wales birth records, Taiwo has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 51.0% of registrations are for boys and 49.0% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Taiwo registered for boys
- Ranked #5,119 in 2024
- 3 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2013 (10 births)
Taiwo registered for girls
- Ranked #4,192 in 2024
- 5 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2006 (8 births)
Meaning
What does Taiwo mean?
The name Taiwo originates from the Yoruba people of West Africa, one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria. It is a masculine given name that means "having the first pair of twins" or "the first twin." The Yoruba culture has a deep reverence for twins, and Taiwo is traditionally given to the first-born twin.
The name can be traced back to the 14th century, when the Yoruba people were established as a dominant ethnic group in what is now southwestern Nigeria. It is derived from the Yoruba words "ta" meaning "to taste" and "iwo" meaning "this world," signifying the first twin's arrival into the world.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Taiwo can be found in the Odu Ifa, a sacred literary corpus of the Yoruba people. The Odu Ifa contains verses and stories that serve as a guide for divination and moral conduct, highlighting the importance of twins in Yoruba cosmology.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Taiwo. One of the earliest recorded figures was Taiwo Akinsanya (1925-1962), a Nigerian writer and playwright who played a significant role in the development of Yoruba literature and theater during the mid-20th century.
Another prominent figure was Taiwo Akinkunmi (1928-2009), a Nigerian lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the Western Region of Nigeria during the 1960s.
In the realm of sports, Taiwo Ogunjobi (born 1950) was a Nigerian football player who represented his country at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada.
Taiwo Afolabi (born 1957) is a renowned Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist who has worked tirelessly to promote democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria.
More recently, Taiwo Awoniyi (born 1997) is a Nigerian professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the name Taiwo throughout history, showcasing its rich cultural significance and the impact it has had across various fields.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Taiwo over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Taiwo in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Taiwo, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 10 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Taiwo by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Taiwo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4672 | 10 | 3 |
| 2010s | #3286 | 46 | 8 |
| 2000s | #2683 | 51 | 9 |
| 1990s | #1697 | 27 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Taiwo
- Thomas 160,894
- Tyler 42,147
- Theo 40,594
- Toby 32,482
- Theodore 30,211
- Tommy 25,300
- Teddy 20,781
- Taylor 14,354
- Tobias 13,102
- Tom 9,822
- Tristan 9,171
- Timothy 6,200
FAQ
Taiwo: questions and answers
How popular is the name Taiwo in the UK right now?
In 2024, Taiwo was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Taiwo most popular?
The peak year on record was 2013, with 10 babies registered as Taiwo in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Taiwo?
Yoruba name for the firstborn in a set of twins.
How many people are called Taiwo in the UK?
A total of 134 babies have been registered as Taiwo across the 24 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.