Given name & surname
Baba
“born on a Thursday”
Baba is used as a given name and a surname. One African interpretation is “born on a Thursday.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “born on a Thursday.”
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 2001. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Baba through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 52
- 52 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #9,821 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,821 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 616 as a first name in 2020; 1,954 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.
Baba’s family of names
Baba has a related form in Baaba. Baba has a related form in Babah. Baba has a related form in Babba.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Baba
- Baba TahirPersian poet947–1032
- Baba AmteIndian freedom fighter, social worker (1914–2008)
- Baba Farid12th-century Punjabi Sunni Muslim preacher and mystic1175–1265
- Baba DiawaraSenegalese footballerborn 1988
- Baba AdamuGhanaian footballerborn 1979
- Baba Harbhajan SinghIndian army soldier, "Hero of Nathula"1946–1968
- Baba SuweNigerian actor and comedian1958–2021
- Lokenath Brahmacharisaint and philosopher in Bengal1730–1860
- Baba Mardoukh RohaneeIranian religious scholar, teacher, poet and historian (1923–1989)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Baba, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Bash
“the forerunner” · “one who likes to party”
>99% boys
Simba
“resembling a lion”
>99% boys
Ajayi
“one who is born facedown” · “one we fight to turn”
>99% boys
Masud
“a fortunate man”
>99% boys
Harith
“a cultivator; a provider”
>99% boys
Azi
“one who is youthful”
>99% boys
Abu
“a father”
>99% boys
Jayvyn
“having a light spirit”
>99% boys