indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Gender Feminine
Meaning & History
The origins of this name are uncertain. Though it is popularly claimed to mean "first to dance" in Cherokee, this appears to be untrue.
According to Native Languages of the Americas: 'It's possible that it has an origin in a Native American language other than Cherokee, but it definitely is not a traditional name, and we don't know of any Native American language in which it means "first" or "dancer," much less both together. This is a recent name (we've never heard of anyone named this born before the 70's). Ayita is apparently the name of a kind of Nigerian dance, and this may be another case of an African name being mistaken for a Native American name by white writers.'
According to Native Languages of the Americas: 'It's possible that it has an origin in a Native American language other than Cherokee, but it definitely is not a traditional name, and we don't know of any Native American language in which it means "first" or "dancer," much less both together. This is a recent name (we've never heard of anyone named this born before the 70's). Ayita is apparently the name of a kind of Nigerian dance, and this may be another case of an African name being mistaken for a Native American name by white writers.'