Reference: Yoruba Towns, Rulers and Subgroups

This table collects the towns treated in this section, with the ruler's title, the state or country, the subgroup and a short note 4. Every entry rests on a source cited in the file that covers the town in detail, and the cross-reference column names that file 3. Where a title could not be verified, the cell says so rather than supplying a guess.

Three cautions before the table.

Titles are contested more often than a table can show. Ìkẹ́rẹ́ has two rulers claiming the town, Ìkàrẹ́ has two with contradictory court rulings behind them, and the Ìlàjẹ Amápetu stool is in dispute. The table gives the position the sources best support and the detail file gives the argument.

Ruler titles are not equivalent to one another. An Ọ̀ọ̀ni, an Olúbàdàn, an Emir and a Baálẹ̀ hold offices of different kinds with different histories, and a shared column heading should not be read as a shared institution.

Spelling and diacritics vary. Most web sources strip tone marks. The diacritics here follow standard Yoruba orthography for well-established forms; where the sources give no tone marking and the form is not securely known, the plain form is used rather than an invented one. Akran, Ayangburen and a number of the Àkókó and Ìkálẹ̀ titles fall into that category.

The senior and best-known crowns 5

Town	Ruler's title	State / country	Subgroup	Note	File
Ilé-Ifẹ̀	Ọ̀ọ̀ni	Ọ̀ṣun	Ifẹ̀	Ritual capital; four ruling houses fixed in 1957	01
Ọ̀yọ́	Aláàfin	Ọ̀yọ́	Ọ̀yọ́	Imperial capital; refounded 1837 by Àtìbà	02
Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé (Katunga)	ruined site	Ọ̀yọ́ / Kwara	Ọ̀yọ́	Old capital, abandoned 1835; national park	02
Ìbàdàn	Olúbàdàn	Ọ̀yọ́	mixed	War camp of 1829; rotating two-line ladder	03
Abẹ́òkúta (Aké)	Aláké of Ẹ̀gbáland	Ògùn	Ẹ̀gbá	Paramount of four co-resident crowns	04
Abẹ́òkúta (Òkè-Ọ̀nà)	Òṣìlé	Ògùn	Ẹ̀gbá	Seat at Oko	04
Abẹ́òkúta (Gbágùrà)	Àgùrà	Ògùn	Ẹ̀gbá	Seat at Ìdó	04
Abẹ́òkúta (Ọ̀wu)	Olówu	Ògùn	Ọ̀wu	Refugee kingdom after the Ọ̀wu war	04
Ìjẹ̀bú-Òde	Awùjalẹ̀	Ògùn	Ìjẹ̀bú	Four ruling houses fixed 1959; Ọ̀ṣùgbó courts	05
Lagos (Èkó)	Ọba of Lagos	Lagos	Àwórì / Benin line	Kingship from Àṣípa c. 1600; ìdejò hold the land	06
Ilésà	Ọ̀wá Obòkun Adìmúlà	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìjẹ̀ṣà	Obòkun from the seawater tradition	08
Ondó	Ọṣemawè	Ondo	Ondó / Ẹkímògùn	Lóbùn installs the king	09
Ọ̀wọ̀	Ọlọ́wọ̀	Ondo	Ọ̀wọ̀	Coral crown in the Benin manner; Igbo'Laja finds	09
Àkúrẹ́	Déjì	Ondo	Àkúrẹ́	Earlier title Àjàpadà; Benin vassal 1818–1897	09
Ìlọrin	Emir of Ilorin	Kwara	contested	Yoruba town, Fulani emirate, Sokoto allegiance	13
Ìlá-Ọ̀ràngún	Ọ̀ràngún	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìgbómìnà	Senior Odùduwà crown	10
Kétu (Kétou)	Aláké̩tu	Benin Republic	Kétu	Destroyed by Dahomey 1886; Akaba Idena gate	12

Èkìtì 5

Town	Ruler's title	State	Note	File
Adó-Èkìtì	Ẹ̀wì	Ẹkìtì	State capital; Udiroko festival; three ruling houses	07
Ìkẹ́rẹ́-Èkìtì	Ògògà	Ẹkìtì	Olúkèrè also recognised as ọba from 2021; stool contested	07
Ìkẹ́rẹ́ (Odo-Oja)	Olúkèrè	Ẹkìtì	Recognised 8 October 2021; claims priority over the Ògògà	07
Ìkọ̀lé-Èkìtì	Elékọlé	Ẹkìtì	Paramount of the Egbeoba confederation of 24 ọba	07
Ọ̀tùn-Èkìtì	Oore (Òòrẹ̀)	Ẹkìtì	Mọ̀bà; first President of the pẹ̀lúpẹ̀lú, 1900	07
Efọ̀n-Aláàyè	Aláàyè (Aláyé)	Ẹkìtì	Founded c. 1200 by Ọbalùfọ̀n Aláyémọrẹ; woodcarving centre	07
Ìjẹ̀rọ̀-Èkìtì	Ajẹrò	Ẹkìtì	Named with Alárá and Ọ̀ràngún as uterine brothers	07
Aramoko-Èkìtì	Alárá	Ẹkìtì	Also given as Alárá of Ara	07
Ìsẹ̀-Èkìtì	Arìnjalẹ̀	Ẹkìtì	Home of the carver Olówè of Ìsẹ̀	07
Ìdó-Èkìtì	Olójùdó	Ẹkìtì	On the 1903 Ifẹ̀ gazette list	07
Òyè-Èkìtì	Olóyè	Ẹkìtì		07
Ògótùn-Èkìtì	Ológotun	Ẹkìtì		07
Òkèmèsì	Ọ̀wá Ọ̀ọ̀yẹ	Ẹkìtì	Home of Fabunmi, who triggered the Kiriji war	07
Ìtàjí-Èkìtì	Onítàjí	Ẹkìtì		07
Ìṣàn-Èkìtì	Onísàn	Ẹkìtì		07
Ayédé-Èkìtì	Atta	Ẹkìtì	Observer at the 1900 pẹ̀lúpẹ̀lú	07
Èmùrẹ̀-Èkìtì	Elémùrẹ̀	Ẹkìtì	Observer at the 1900 pẹ̀lúpẹ̀lú as Baálẹ̀	07
Òmùọ-Èkìtì	Olómùo	Ẹkìtì	On the modern roster	07
Ìlàwẹ̀-Èkìtì	Alawe	Ẹkìtì	Chairmanship appointment litigated in 2020	07
Ìyìn-Èkìtì	Olúyìn	Ẹkìtì		19

Ìjẹ̀ṣà and Ọ̀ṣun State 6

Town	Ruler's title	State	Subgroup	Note	File
Òṣogbo	Atáọ́ja	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìbọ̀lọ̀ / Ọ̀yọ́	State capital; UNESCO grove; 1838 battle	10
Ìwó	Olúwo	Ọ̀ṣun	Epo / Ọ̀yọ́	Founded by Adékọ́lá Telu; over 40,000 in the 19th c.	10
Èdè	Tìmì	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìbọ̀lọ̀ / Ọ̀yọ́	Ọ̀yọ́ frontier post under Aláàfin Kórí; no Ifẹ̀ link	10
Ìkirun	Akírun	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìbọ̀lọ̀	Site of the Jalumi war, 1878	10
Ìlobù	Olóbù	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìbọ̀lọ̀		10
Ifẹ̀-Odan	Adimula	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìbọ̀lọ̀		10
Ejigbo	Ògìyán	Ọ̀ṣun	Ọ̀yọ́	Large diaspora at Abidjan	10
Ìjẹ̀bú-Jẹ̀ṣà	Oníjẹ̀bú Ẹgbọ̀rọ̀	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìjẹ̀ṣà	Founder claimed as elder brother of Ọ̀wá Obòkun	08
Gbọ̀ngán	Olúfi	Ọ̀ṣun	Ifẹ̀		19
Òkè-Ìlá Ọ̀ràngún	Ọ̀ràngún	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìgbómìnà		10
Okuku	Olókuku	Ọ̀ṣun	Ìgbómìnà	Barber's oríkì fieldwork site	18
Ìpetumodù	Apetu	Ọ̀ṣun	Ifẹ̀		10
Modáké̩ké̩	Ògùnsùà	Ọ̀ṣun	Ọ̀yọ́ settlers	Founded mid-1840s inside Ifẹ̀; long land dispute	01

Other Ọ̀ṣun towns named in the sources but without a verified ruler title here: Ìrágbìjí, Ada, Ìpetu-Ìjẹ̀ṣà, Èrìn-Òkè, Ìbòkun, Ode-Omu, Otan Ayegbaju, Ifetedo, Èsa-Òkè, Otan-Ile, Ìgbàjọ, Ifẹ̀wàrà 1.

Ọ̀yọ́ State 4

Town	Ruler's title	State	Subgroup	Note	File
Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́	Sòun	Ọ̀yọ́	Ọ̀yọ́	Founded c. 1650 by the hunter Ògúnlọlá; Baptist centre	11
Ìsẹ́yìn	Aṣẹ́yìn	Ọ̀yọ́	Òǹkò	Principal aṣọ òkè weaving centre; 1916 rising	11
Ṣakí	Òkèrè	Ọ̀yọ́	Òǹkò	Largest Òkè Ògùn town	11
Ìgbòho	Alẹ́pàtà (with Ọ̀nà Oníbodè)	Ọ̀yọ́	Òǹkò	Ọ̀yọ́ capital during the Nupe interregnum; four Aláàfin buried there	11
Kíṣí	Ìbà	Ọ̀yọ́	Òǹkò	Refuge in the interregnum and after 1835	11
Òkèhò	Ọnjọ̀	Ọ̀yọ́	Òǹkò	Federation of settlements	11
Ìgbẹ̀tì	title not verified here	Ọ̀yọ́	Òǹkò	Agbele rock	11
Ado Awaye	title not verified here	Ọ̀yọ́	Òǹkò	Ìyáké suspended lake	11
Èrúwà	Elérúwà	Ọ̀yọ́	Ìbàràpá	Recognised by the Aláàfin as leading Ìbàràpá town	15
Igbó-Òrà	Olú of Igbó-Òrà	Ọ̀yọ́	Ìbàràpá	Highest measured dizygotic twinning rate	15
Ìdẹ̀rẹ, Tápà, Àyété, Igangan, Lanlate	titles not verified here	Ọ̀yọ́	Ìbàràpá	Tápà settled by Nupe refugees	15

Ògùn State: Ìjẹ̀bú, Rẹ́mọ, Ẹ̀gbá and Yewa 5

Town	Ruler's title	State	Subgroup	Note	File
Ṣàgámù	Akárigbò of Rẹ́moland	Ògùn	Rẹ́mọ	Assembled 1872 from thirteen towns; kola centre	14
Ìjẹ̀bú-Ìgbó	Orímọlùṣì	Ògùn	Ìjẹ̀bú	Five clans each with its own ọba	14
Àgọ́-Ìwòyè	Ẹbùmawè	Ògùn	Ìjẹ̀bú	Olabisi Onabanjo University main campus	05
Ìlàrò	Olú of Ìlàrò	Ògùn	Yewa	Paramount ruler of Yewaland since 1993	15
Àyétòrò (Ògùn)	title not verified here	Ògùn	Yewa		15
Ìmẹ̀kọ	title not verified here	Ògùn	Yewa		15
Ìpòkìá	title not verified here	Ògùn	Yewa / Anàgó	Border with Benin Republic	15
Òtà	Olótà	Ògùn	Àwórì	Historic Àwórì capital; Iganmode festival	15
Ado-Odo	title not verified here	Ògùn	Àwórì		15
Ifọ̀nyìn	Elehin / Elewi Odo (unverified)	Ògùn / Benin Rep.	Anàgó	Split by the 1889 border	12

Lagos State and the coast 5

Town	Ruler's title	State	Subgroup	Note	File
Ìkọ̀rọdú	Ayangburen	Lagos	Ìjẹ̀bú / Rẹ́mọ	Earlier title Olója; Ìjẹ̀bú dialect	14
Èpé	Olója of Èpé	Lagos	Ìjẹ̀bú	Kòṣọ́kọ́'s refuge from 1851; Islam introduced then	14
Badagry	Akran	Lagos	Àwórì / Ogu	Eight wards; Vlekete market; first storey building	14
Ìṣerí	title not verified here	Lagos	Àwórì	Where the Olófin calabash paused	15
Àgége	title not verified here	Lagos	Àwórì		15

Ondo State: the eastern Yoruba 3

Town	Ruler's title	State	Subgroup	Note	File
Ìdànrè	Ọ̀wá of Ìdànrè	Ondo	Ìdànrè	Stool vacant since 30 July 2024; UNESCO tentative list	09
Ilé-Olújì	Jegun of Ilé-Olújì	Ondo	Ondó-related	Twin tradition shared with Ondó; cocoa processing	09
Ikoya	Abodi	Ondo	Ìkálẹ̀	Paramount of Ìkálẹ̀land, upheld in court 2018	09
Osooro	Rebuja	Ondo	Ìkálẹ̀	Largest Ìkálẹ̀ moiety	09
Idepe-Okitipupa	Jegun	Ondo	Ìkálẹ̀	Distinct from the Jegun of Ilé-Olújì	09
Ode-Aye	Halu	Ondo	Ìkálẹ̀		09
Ode-Erinje	Orungberuwa	Ondo	Ìkálẹ̀		09
Ayeka	Lumure	Ondo	Ìkálẹ̀		09
Irele	Olofun	Ondo	Ìkálẹ̀	Traces descent to the Ugbo kingdom	09
Ugbo (Ode Ugbo)	Olúgbó	Ondo	Ìlàjẹ	Claims to have owned Ilé-Ifẹ̀ before Odùduwà	09
Màhìn	Amápetu	Ondo	Ìlàjẹ	Stool in dispute since February 2017	09
Etikan	Onikan (Olikan)	Ondo	Ìlàjẹ		09
Aheri	Maporure	Ondo	Ìlàjẹ		09
Ayetoro (Ìlàjẹ)	Ogeloyinbo	Ondo	Ìlàjẹ	Holy Apostles Community, founded 1947	09
Ọ̀kà-Àkókó	Olubaka	Ondo	Àkókó	Supreme Court confirmed paramountcy 18 Dec 1998	09
Ọ̀kà (Oka-odo)	Asin	Ondo	Àkókó	Earlier paramount, displaced under colonial rule	09
Ìkàrẹ́-Àkókó	Olukare, and Owa-Ale	Ondo	Àkókó	Two monarchs; court record contradictory	09
Àrìgìdì-Àkókó	Zaki	Ondo	Àkókó	Hausa title adopted after the Nupe period	09
Ogbagi-Àkókó	Ọ̀wá	Ondo	Àkókó		09
Ikaram	Akala	Ondo	Àkókó		09
Irun	Onirun	Ondo	Àkókó		09
Iye	Oniye	Ondo	Àkókó		09
Afin-Àkókó	Aláàfin	Ondo	Àkókó	Title shared with Ọ̀yọ́ but a separate stool	09
Epinmi, Isua, Sosan, Ipe	Ovie	Ondo	Àkókó South-East	Edo title, not Yoruba	09
Akungba	Alale	Ondo	Àkókó	Adekunle Ajasin University	09

Benin Republic and Togo 3

Town	Ruler's title	Country	Subgroup	Note	File
Kétu (Kétou)	Aláké̩tu	Benin Republic	Kétu	Plateau Department; 156,497 in 2013	12
Sábẹ́ (Savè)	Ọnísàbẹ̀	Benin Republic	Sábẹ́ / Shabe	Collines; monarchy abolished, symbolic chief remains	12
Ìdáìṣà (Dassa-Zoumé)	Ọba of Igbo Idaasha	Benin Republic	Ìdáìṣà	Collines; city of forty-one hills	12
Pobè	title not verified here	Benin Republic	Anàgó / Nagot	Plateau Department seat since 2016	12
Ọ̀họ̀rí country	title not verified here	Benin Republic	Ọ̀họ̀rí-Ìjè	Kumi depression; rebellion against France by 1914	12
Atakpamé and the Ifè	title not verified here	Togo	Ifè / Ana	Most western Yoruba subgroup; Ede Ife language	12
Popo	Onípòpó	Benin Republic		Grouped with Kétu and Sábẹ́ as Odùduwà crowns	12

Titles that recur, and what they mean

Several elements appear across many titles and knowing them makes the table readable 7.

Olú- and Ol- prefixes mean owner or lord of, so Olúbàdàn is lord of Ìbàdàn, Olótà lord of Òtà, Olówu lord of Ọ̀wu, Olóbù lord of Ìlobù. This is the commonest Yoruba title formation and it can be applied to any place name.

Oní- and On- have the same function with a different phonological shape, so Oníkòyí, Onísàn, Onítàjí, Ọnísàbẹ̀, Onijẹ̀bú. Which prefix a name takes depends on the sound of the place name, not on rank.

Ọba is the general word for a crowned ruler and is used both as a title in its own right and as a style before a personal name.

Baálẹ̀ is the head of an uncrowned town, glossed as father of the land, and it is a lower rank than ọba. Several towns, including Ìbàdàn until 1936 and Igbó-Òrà until recently, have been upgraded from Baálẹ̀ to a crowned title, and such upgrades are a standing subject of dispute.

Balógun is a war title, lord of the war camp, held across Yorubaland and forming the whole military line at Ìbàdàn.

Aàrẹ Ọ̀nà Kakanfò is the Ọ̀yọ́ empire's supreme military commander, held by Àfọ̀njá and revived at Ìbàdàn.

Otún and Òsì mean right and left hand, and appear as the two senior positions flanking a ruler in many chieftaincy systems.

Ìwàrèfà is the council of senior chiefs, six in most towns, called Eghae at Ondó, and appearing as the top grade of the Ọ̀ṣùgbó in Ìjẹ̀bú.

What this table is not

It is not complete. Yorubaland contains hundreds of towns with recognised crowns, and the Nigerian state chieftaincy registers list many more titles than any published summary. The Wikipedia list of Yoruba royal titles states its own incompleteness 2, and so does this one.

It is not authoritative on precedence. The grading of chieftaincies into first, second, third and fourth class is a matter of state law in Nigeria, is revised by state governments, and is litigated; nothing in this table should be read as settling rank.

And it is a snapshot. Holders die, stools fall vacant, and states restructure chieftaincy declarations. The Ìdànrè stool was vacant when this was compiled, the Badagry Akran had recently died, and the Ìbàdàn and Ìkàrẹ́ arrangements were both before the courts.