Oruko: ÃŒwé Orúkọ Yorùbá - The Nubala Book of Yorùbá Names - Expanded Edition
Paperback
Series: Nubala Ifá Library
General Racism & Ethnic StudiesPregnancy & Adoption
Publisher Price: $16.99
Publisher: Nubala Publishing
Published: Sep 13 2026
Pages: 220
Weight: 0.66
Height: 0.46 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
In Yoruba tradition, a name is not simply a label. It is a declaration, a prayer, a prophecy, and an inheritance. The Oruko - the name given to a child - shapes their Ori, announces their destiny, and connects them to the generations before them. A name chosen carelessly can diminish. A name chosen wisely can open roads.
Oruko: A Guide to Yoruba Sacred Names is the most comprehensive English-language guide to Yoruba naming tradition - covering the deep meanings of hundreds of traditional Yoruba names, the theological principles behind Yoruba naming, and the specific names tied to Ifa divination, the Orisa, and initiatory traditions.
Babalawo Olodu Ifadahunsi Egundiran Obafemi Alladahanou, Akoda Awo of UNIOV, brings both priestly knowledge and a lifetime of immersion in Yoruba language and culture to this reference. This is not a baby name book. It is a guide to one of the most sophisticated naming traditions on earth - designed for practitioners, parents, and anyone reclaiming their Yoruba cultural and spiritual heritage.
What this book covers:
The theology of Yoruba naming - how Ori is connected to the name, how the naming ceremony works, and why the seventh day after birth is sacred.
The categories of Yoruba names - Oruko Amutorunwa (names from heaven), Oriki (praise names), Orile (ancestral names), and Abiso (names given by the Orisa or Ifa).
Names of Ifa and divination - names given by the Babalawo based on the Odu that spoke at the naming ceremony.
Names of the Orisa - Yoruba names that honor or invoke specific divine forces: Ogun, Osun, Sango, Obatala, Orunmila, Eshu, Yemoja, and more.
Hundreds of traditional Yoruba names with full meanings, etymologies, and spiritual context.
Diaspora naming - how Yoruba naming traditions survived in Cuba, Brazil, Trinidad, and the United States, and how practitioners in the diaspora are reclaiming them today.
A guide to choosing and receiving a Yoruba spiritual name - the process, the ceremony, and the obligations it creates.
For families, practitioners, and anyone seeking to reconnect with a living tradition of naming that honors the sacred in every human life.
Nubala Ifa Library. Published by Nubala Publishing.
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