Given name & surname · also Japanese
Asa
“doctor, healer”·“born in the morning”·“one who heals others”
Asa is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “doctor, healer” (Hebrew), “born in the morning” (Japanese), and “one who heals others” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Japanese麻
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “doctor, healer” (Hebrew), “born in the morning” (Japanese), and “one who heals others” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From Late Latin Asa, from Koine Greek Ἀσά, from Biblical Hebrew אָסָא (ʾĀsāʾ), from Aramaic אָסְיָא (ʾāsyā, “physician, doctor, healer”), from Akkadian asûm (A.ZU), from Sumerian 𒀀𒍪 (A.ZU, “physician, healer”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Asa appears in 1 Chronicles 9:16, 1 Kings 15:8, 2 Chronicles 14:10 and 4 other passages.
- 1 Chronicles 9:16
- 1 Kings 15:8
- 2 Chronicles 14:10
- 1 Kings 15:14
- 1 Kings 15:18
- 1 Chronicles 16:10
- 1 Kings 15:24
From biblical name research
Asa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 23,067
- 21,166 boys · 1,901 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 777 babies
- 2025
- 696
- #483 for boys · #2,412 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +11%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 89% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 622 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 483 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 9.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 74 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (53). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 14,126 as a first name in 2020; 540 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.
Asa’s family of names
In English usage, Asa has a related form in Asaph. In Welsh usage, Asa has a related form in ASAFF. Asa has a related form in Asah.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Asa has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
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.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Asa
- Asa ButterfieldEnglish actorborn 1997
- Al JolsonAmerican entertainer, actor, and singer (1886–1950)
- Asa GrayAmerican botanist (1810–1888)
- Asa HutchinsonGovernor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023born 1950
- A. Philip RandolphBlack American civil rights activist, labor unionist, politician (1889-1979)
- Asa Griggs CandlerAmerican mayor and businessman (1851-1929)
- Asa GermannAmerican actorborn 1997
- Asa BriggsEnglish historian (1921-2016)
- Asa FitchAmerican entomologist (1809–1879)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Asa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Axel
“source of life; small oak” · “axe”
>99% boys
Samson
“sun man”
>99% boys
Abel
“the life force; breath”
>99% boys
Ezra
“help” · “one who is helpful”
95% boys · 5% girls
Ozias
“power of Yah” · “Yah is strong”
>99% boys
Judah
“praised” · “one who praises God”
98% boys · 2% girls
Eleazar
“God will help”
>99% boys
Ananias
“Yah has been gracious” · “graciously given of Yah”
>99% boys