Tracing the Origin of the Name “Yoruba”: From Islamic Roots to Colonial Adoption

This post explores how the term “Yoruba” likely stems from Islamic and Phoenician sources, where it originally meant “west” or described peoples who resisted submitting to Islam. Hausa speakers referred to them as “Beerebe” (Berber), and the plural form appears in Hausa as “Yorubawa.” The earliest recorded mention of “Yoruba” comes from a 16th-century treatise by Ahmed Baba of Songhai, who listed non-Muslim nations eligible for slave trade. Within Yorubaland itself, groups identified as “omo Olofin,” “omo Oduduwa,” or by other clan-based names long before the term became widespread. In the early 20th century, British colonial administrators adopted “Yoruba” as an umbrella label for all speakers of the language and shared culture. Yet leaders like Balogun Ogedengbe had already used “Yoruba” and “Oyo” interchangeably to describe various city-states. Today, the name unites a rich heritage across southwestern Nigeria and the global diaspora.

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