If there is one sweet thing that I enjoy about Yorubas, it’s their large vocabulary of names to call God. When the choristers in a church start to sing God’s praise in Yoruba, heads start to “swell” (Literally of course). It is such an heavenly and otherworldly phenomenon to experience indeed.
You are here on this blog because you wish to know how to call God wonderful names from the Yoruba language. Perhaps you are the one to lead the choristers in Praise and Worship next Sunday and you want to give it your best by showing off how much of God’s Oriki you know. Or you perhaps just wish to expand your Yoruba vocabulary. Whichever one it is, this article is tailored to help you out.
So, yes, we will be listing 100 Oriki for God or Yoruba names for God below. Amazing huh? Yeah! Come with us to check 100 Yoruba names for God below..
Let’s go!
1. Alágbádá Iná
Meaning: One whose robe or gown is made of Fire.
2. Al’awọtẹlẹ òòrùn
Meaning: One whose undergarment is the sun.
*MAD OO*🤣
3. Ọba àwọn ọba
Meaning: King of kings
4. Ọlọrun awọn ọlọrun
Meaning: Lord of lords
5. Ọlọwọ Iná
Meaning: Hands of Fire
6. Atẹrẹrẹ Kari Ayé
Meaning: One that spreads wide over all the earth
7. Ọba Nla Tó Kárí Ayé
Meaning: Big King that covers all the earth.
8. Alabẹ Ilé a n sá wa
Meaning: The one whose house we run under for protection.
9. Olórí Ayé
Meaning: Head of the Earth
10. Kábíyèsí
Meaning: King
11. Ọ̀rọ̀bọ̀ Jigbọ Baba Awọn Ẹrù
Meaning: Big enough that he is the father of all fears
12. Ologo tó ju ogo lọ
Meaning: Glorious one that is more than Glory itself
13. Arugbo Ojo
Meaning: Ancient of Days
14. Adagba Ma Tepa
Meaning: Elderly one that did not use a stick or rod.
15. Imole laarin Okunkun
Meaning: Light in the midst of darkness
16. Oba ara ti n da ara
Meaning: King of wonders that does wonders.
17. Arabata ribiti, Aribiti rabata
Meaning: Mighty One (‘?’ Not sure..)
18. Oloore
Meaning: The one that is good/ One that does favors
19. Gbani gbani nigba isoro
Meaning: The one that helps one in time of problems.
20. Kokoro inu aye
Meaning; The key in life.
21. Erujeje
Meaning: The one that should feared
22. Adajo ma fi tenikan se
Meaning: One that judges without partiality
23. Erujeje okan pharaoh
Meaning: The One behind Pharaoh’s hardened heart
24. Afunni ma siregun
Meaning: One that gives without expecting
25. Oba ti n toju eni
Meaning: The King that takes care of someone
26. Aduro gboin gboin leyin asooto
Meaning: One that stands so firmly at the back of the truthful.
27. Eni ikerin ninu ina ileru
Meaning: The 4th person in the fire of the furnace
28. Ina to n jo, tenikan o le pa
Meaning: The light/fire that burns that no one can put out.
29. Olowo gbogboro
Meaning: The one whose hands are wide
30. Jikan lu’kan pa
Meaning: One who wakes one and kills one.
31. Onikokoro aye l’owo
Meaning: One who has the keys to the earth.
32. Agadagodo emi gbogbo eniyan
Meaning: The Padlock of everyone’s lives.
33. Opa tinrin kanle o kan orun
Meaning: The thin rope that touches the earth and the heavens/ the rain.
34. Ibere ati opin
Meaning: The beginning and the end
35. Emi ni ti n je emi ni
Meaning: The “I am that I am”.
36. O gbomo nija somo daje, o gbomo nija somo doso
Meaning: One who fights for child so much that the child seems like a witch or a wizard.
37. Asiri aye
Meaning: The secret of the world
38. Oba ara
Meaning; King of Wonders
39. Oluranlowo mi
Meaning: My helper
40. Ogbe’ni nija keru kob’onija
Meaning: One who fights for one and scares away the other person.
41. Ako’da aye
Meaning: One who created the world first.
42. Aseda Orun
Meaning: One who created the heavens.
43. Oluwa awon oluwa
Meaning: Lord of lords
44. Oba ti o see wo loju wo
Meaning: King that can’t be looked in the eye.
45. Ailedibaje
Meaning: One that can’t be spoiled.
46. Oba to n seun gbogbo lasiko
Meaning:King that does all things at the right time.
47. Irawo owuro
Meaning: Morning star
48. Oba awon eni mimo
Meaning: King of the saints
49. Olori ogun, akoda ogun, akeyin ogun
Meaning: Leader of the battle, Creator of the battle, Last person standing in the battle.
50. Alagbara
Meaning: Powerful one
51. Oba to soro ti ina yo
Meaning: King that talks and fire ejects.
52. Eledumare
Meaning: Almighty God
53. Aji p’ojo iku da
Meaning: One that wakes and turns the day of death around.
54. Opa kan, wo kan ye
Meaning: One that kills one, and nurses one back to life.
55. Onile kaya kajo
Meaning: One whose house we branch into to dance.
56. Asiri isale ile
Meaning: The secret behind the underground.
57. Iye
Meaning: Redemption
58. Oba to l’oyun ara re, o bi ara re, o so ara re loruko.
Meaning: the King that got pregnant of himself, birthed himself, and named himself.
59. Eleburu ike
Meaning: One that cares the most? (Not sure… Comment what you think is the meaning)
60. Alainipekun
Meaning: One that has no end
61. Olowo ori wa
Meaning: One that owns our heads/destinies.
62. Opo kan to gbe aye ati orun
Meaning: The one pillar that carries the heavens and the earth.
63. Oba to n soro dayo
Meaning: King that turns troubles into joy.
64. Olorun to n fe wa ni afeju ati afetan
Meaning: Almighty that loves in totalty
65. Oluso agutan rere
Meaning: The good sheperd
66. Oluwa
Meaning: God/ Our King
67. Olorun
Meaning: God
68. Atobiju
Meaning: Greatest One
69. Adagba ma paro oye
Meaning: One who grows so old and does not change title
70. Oba lana, oba loni, oba titi ayeraye
Meaning: King yesterday, King today, King Forever.
71. Oba to n gba idobale oba
Meaning: King that accepts the prostrating of other kings
72. Metal’okan
Meaning: Three in One
73. Olorun baba, Olorun omo, Olorun emi mimo
Meaning: God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit
74. Ologo meta
Meaning: One with Three glories.
75. Awimayehun
Meaning: One that says it and does not go back on his words.
76. Asoromatase
77. Asoromaye
78. Asoro kolu bii ogiri gbigbe
79. Olulana
80. Emi Mimo
81. Olusegun
82. Gbani gbani oba a n saya
83. Adani ma gbagbe
84. Atofarati
85. Ibere ati opin
86. Àwámárìídìí
87. Arinu r’ode
88. Olumoran okan
89. Atorise
90. Onibu ore
91. Oyigiyigi
92. Alakoso orun
93. Ologo julo
94. Olowo gbogboro
Meaning: One with large hands
95. Oba ti o see pe lejo
96. Oba ti n laju afoju
97. Oba ti n ji oku dide
98. Aditu Olodumare
99. Olugbeja
Meaning: One who always fights one’s behalf.
100. Ọba to bi ọmọ kárí ayé
Meaning: King that has children all over the earth.
101!!!. This is a jara oo…
OLÓORE Ọ̀FẸ́.
Meaning: One who gives gifts or kindness for free.
So, here’s the thing. I love appreciation. If you loved this post and you learnt something, you see the SHARE buttons at the bottom of this page, press them! Ehn-ehn… Writing is not that easy o! Also, comment your own additional Yoruba names for God that I missed out.
IRE O. 💕😍😘
This is a great list it has some of the definitions ive been looking for for a while.
#58 means “You are the King who carried Yourself in the womb, You birthed yourself, You named yourself.”
What does aribiti arabata, e yin la to bi ju mean?
Hello Rysa. Thanks for commenting. The meaning of the statement is, “great one, You are the one that is the greatest” Aribiti arabata does not really have a meaning in Yoruba. It’s just used to mean that something is great or magnificent.