Batya
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "daughter of God".
Name Census estimates that about 694 living Americans carry the first name Batya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Batya today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Batya births was 2011 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Batya. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
694
~ 1 in 493,882 Americans
Peak year
2011
27 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,895
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Batya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Batya from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 200 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Batya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Batya by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Batya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Batyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, California recorded the most babies named Batya, while California, New Jersey, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 107 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Batya
The name Batya is of Hebrew origin and is derived from the Hebrew word "bat," which means "daughter." It is a feminine name that emerged in ancient Israel and has been used since biblical times.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Batya can be found in the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible, where it refers to the daughter of Pharaoh who found the infant Moses in the Nile River and raised him as her own son. This event is considered a pivotal moment in Jewish history and the name Batya is associated with courage, compassion, and the ability to transcend cultural boundaries.
Throughout the centuries, the name Batya has been borne by various notable figures in Jewish history. One of the most renowned was Batya Munkacsi (1888-1976), a Hungarian-born Israeli educator and activist who played a significant role in the establishment of the first modern Hebrew school system in pre-state Israel.
Another prominent Batya was Batya Gur (1947-2005), an acclaimed Israeli author and literary critic known for her mystery novels and her exploration of Israeli society and culture. Her works, such as "The Beth Revisited" and "The Lying Stone," gained international recognition and were translated into multiple languages.
In the realm of politics, Batya Kahana-Dror (born 1934) is a former Israeli politician and women's rights activist who served as a member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) for several terms and advocated for gender equality and social justice.
The name Batya also has historical significance in the Hasidic Jewish community, where it was borne by Batya Rachel Leah (1815-1892), the daughter of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, a prominent Hasidic leader in the 19th century. Her life and teachings continue to inspire and guide many within the Hasidic tradition.
Throughout the ages, the name Batya has carried a sense of resilience, strength, and a connection to Jewish heritage and values. Its meaning as "daughter" serves as a reminder of the importance of family, tradition, and the continuation of cultural and spiritual legacies.
People
Batya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Batya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Batya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Batya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 694 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Batya going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 493,882 US residents.
Is Batya a common name?
We classify Batya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 712 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Batya most popular?
The single biggest year for Batya was 2011, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Batya is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Batya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Batya in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.