The curious name Iyanla first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1998:
- 2000: 41 baby girls named Iyanla
- 1999: 49 baby girls named Iyanla
- 1998: 10 baby girls named Iyanla [debut]
- 1997: unlisted
- 1996: unlisted
Where did it come from?
Self-help expert Iyanla (pronounced ee-YAHN-lah) Vanzant, who was featured on 20 episodes of The Oprah Winfrey Show from 1998 to 1999.
According to Oprah.com, Iyanla doled out “some of the best no-nonsense, hard-hitting advice Oprah had ever heard.”
Iyanla’s humorous style and life-changing advice struck a chord with women everywhere. Her message was simple: To live better, you’ve got to love yourself.
She went on to host two of her own talk shows, the most successful of which, Iyanla: Fix My Life, aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) from 2012 to 2021.
Iyanla’s birth name was Rhonda Eva Harris. In her late 20s, she decided to reinvent herself — and adopt a new name, to symbolize her new life. Here’s how she tells the story:
Like Saul on the road to Damascus, I too had a spiritual awakening. Saul became Paul, and Rhonda became Iyanla, which, in the language of the Yoruba people of Nigeria, means “great mother.” It’s not even a name, it’s a title — it’s a title with a purpose.
The Yoruban title Ìyá nlá is made up of the words ìyá, meaning “mother,” and nlá, meaning “big, large.”
What are your thoughts on the name Iyanla?
Sources: Iyanla Vanzant – Wikipedia, Iyanla Vanzant Returns to The Oprah Show – Oprah.com, Iyanla Explains The Origin Of Her Name – Oprah.com [vid], SSA
Image: Screenshot of The Oprah Winfrey Show