Given name & surname
Ama
“born on a Saturday”
Ama is used as a given name and a surname. One African interpretation is “born on a Saturday.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “born on a Saturday.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is African.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1885. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ama through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,050
- 0 boys · 1,050 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 25 babies
- 2025
- 14
- #7,506 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 14 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 7,506 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 25 in 2019. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,900 as a first name in 2020; 390 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ama’s family of names
Ama has a related form in Amma. Ama has a related form in Amah. Ama has a related form in Ammah.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ama
- Ama Ata AidooGhanaian writer, politician, and academic (1942–2023)
- Ama K. AbebreseGhanaian Actress, television presenter, producer.born 1980
- Ama Tutu MunaCameroonian politicianborn 1960
- AmaaraeAmerican- Ghanaian singer-songwriterborn 1994
- Ama Pomaa BoatengGhanaian politicianborn 1975
- Ama AmpofoGhanaian actressborn 1991
- Ama NkrumahGhanaian female political activist during and after Ghana's independence struggle
- Ama Bame BusiaGhanaian politician1936–2023
- Ama Afo BlayGhanaian educationist
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ama, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Aina
“child born of a complicated delivery”
>99% girls
Neema
“born into prosperity”
>99% girls
Afia
“born on a Friday”
>99% girls
Faizah
“a victorious woman”
>99% girls
Ramla
“a prophetess”
>99% girls
Umi
“a giver of life”
17% boys · 83% girls
Yemaya
“an intelligent woman”
>99% girls
Hada
“from the salty place”
>99% girls