Given name & surname

Amasa

“a burden”

Amasa is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “a burden.”

Original Hebrewעמשא

Meaning & origin

What it means

One Hebrew interpretation is “a burden.”

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.

How it developed

From the Hebrew verb amas (עמש), “to load or carry a load.”

From biblical name research

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

In the Bible

In the Bible, the name Amasa appears in 1 Chronicles 2:17, 2 Samuel 17:25, 2 Samuel 19:13 and 1 other passage.

  • 1 Chronicles 2:17
  • 2 Samuel 17:25
  • 2 Samuel 19:13
  • 2 Chronicles 28:12

From biblical name research

Amasa through the years

Babies since 1880
37
37 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
1918
8 babies
2025
0
Outside the ranked list
2021–25 vs 2016–20
—
Too few births to compare
02040601900192019401960198020002025Highest share 18860.0
Amasa in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1886–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1925. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 8 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 111 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Amasa’s family of names

Amasa has a related form in Amahsa. Amasa has a related form in Amasah. Amasa has a related form in Ammahsa.

Walk Amasa’s family in the name graph

AmasaAmmahsaAmahsaAmmasaAmasah

The ring: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 4

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Similar names

If you love Amasa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Hebrew · Biblical

Alvah

“rising”

0Not recently recorded

96% boys · 4% girls

Hebrew · Biblical

Agee

“fugitive”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Hebrew · Old-fashioned

Abe

“father of a multitude; father of nations” · “father of a multitude (of nations)”

34RareEasing

>99% boys

Gaelic · Old-fashioned

Oran

“surrounded by light” · “a pale-skinned man”

22RareRising

>99% boys

Hebrew · Biblical

Beno

“his son”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Hebrew · Old-fashioned

Enos

“mankind” · “a man”

29RareSteady

>99% boys

Hebrew

Susano

“lily”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Hebrew · Old-fashioned

Mahlon

“one who is sick”

30RareSteady

98% boys · 2% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Amasa’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Amasa

A sister for Amasa