And as the Nigerian American actress has previously noted, it has a layered meaning.
“Ayo means ‘joy,’” she told W Magazine in 2025. “It’s short for Funmilayo, which means ‘Give me joy.”
While she certainly does spread happiness wherever she goes, the Emmy winner hates nothing more than when people spell her joyful name wrong.
“I have a pet peeve,” she said. “I hate when people write a message to me, or send an email to me, or send one to anybody, and they spell your name wrong in the email or in the message. That’s just so frustrating to me.”
She added of spelling her last name, “Two E’s, two I’s, please.”
Keep reading for more stars who have shared their real names.
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