Given name & surname
Babe
“a beloved child; a spoiled daughter”·“a beloved child; a spoiled son”
Babe is a variant of Baby. Interpretations include “a beloved child; a spoiled daughter” (English) and “a beloved child; a spoiled son” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Babe is a variant of Baby. Interpretations include “a beloved child; a spoiled daughter” (English) and “a beloved child; a spoiled son” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Babe is a variant of Baby. An origin associated with Baby is English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Babe through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 728
- 345 boys · 383 girls
- Most popular year
- 1927
- 33 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1980. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 16 in 1929. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 697 as a first name in 2020; 465 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.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Babe
- Babe RuthAmerican baseball player (1895–1948)
- Babe Londonactress (1901-1980)
- Babe PaleyAmerican editor and socialite (1915-1978)
- Babe PrattCanadian ice hockey player1916–1988
- Babe SiebertCanadian ice hockey player (1904-1939)
- Babe Adamsbaseball player (1882-1968)
- Babe HermanAmerican baseball player and coach1903–1987
- Babe ParilliAmerican football player (1930-2017)
- Babe StovallAmerican Delta blues singer and songwriter (1907–1974)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Babe, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Bennie
“son of the south; son of the right hand” · “son of the right hand”
68% boys · 32% girls
Marvel
“an extraordinary woman” · “an extraordinary man”
48% boys · 52% girls
Arlie
“from the meadow of the hare” · “from the hare's meadow”
25% boys · 75% girls
Johnnie
“God is gracious”
68% boys · 32% girls
Merrill
“of the shining sea”
51% boys · 49% girls
Carmel
“garden” · “of the fruitful orchard”
28% boys · 72% girls
Marcelle
“the little warrior” · “dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
26% boys · 74% girls
Arlyn
“a solemn, binding promise” · “an oath; a pledge”
24% boys · 76% girls