Bintou
A feminine name of Fula origin meaning "born on Thursday".
Name Census estimates that about 570 living Americans carry the first name Bintou. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bintou today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bintou births was 2024 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bintou. 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
570
~ 1 in 601,323 Americans
Peak year
2024
34 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,194
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Bintou: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bintou from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 211 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Bintou remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bintou 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 Bintou during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bintous live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio recorded the most babies named Bintou, while Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 86 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bintou
The name Bintou has its roots in the Wolof language, spoken primarily in Senegal and the Gambia region of West Africa. It is derived from the Wolof word "bënnoo," meaning "to give birth" or "to bear a child."
In the Wolof culture, the name Bintou is often given to girls born after a period of difficulty or struggle, symbolizing the joy and hope that comes with the arrival of a new life. It is a name that carries with it a sense of resilience and gratitude.
While the exact origins of the name are difficult to pinpoint, it has been in use for centuries among the Wolof people. Some historians believe it may have been mentioned in ancient oral traditions and stories passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bintou can be found in the writings of the 19th-century French explorer and writer, René Caillié. In his account of his travels in West Africa, he mentions encountering a young Wolof woman named Bintou during his journey.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Bintou. One such individual was Bintou Samba Diack (1923-2018), a Senegalese educator and activist who played a significant role in promoting girls' education and women's rights in her country.
Another remarkable woman named Bintou was Bintou Keita (1929-2008), a pioneering Malian singer and actress who helped popularize traditional Malian music on the international stage. Her powerful voice and captivating stage presence earned her widespread acclaim and recognition.
In the literary world, Bintou Bakayoko (1950-1999) was a celebrated Ivorian author and poet. Her works explored themes of identity, womanhood, and the complexities of postcolonial Africa. Her debut novel, "Vers des lendemains meilleurs," published in 1986, was a critical and commercial success.
Bintou Sow (born 1960) is a prominent Senegalese lawyer and human rights activist who has dedicated her career to defending the rights of women and children in West Africa. She has been a vocal advocate for legal reform and has received numerous awards for her work.
Lastly, Bintou Dembele (born 1992) is a Burkinabé professional basketball player who has represented her country at the international level. She has played for several teams in Europe and Africa, showcasing her exceptional skills on the court.
People
Bintou + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bintou 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
Bintou: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bintou?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 570 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bintou 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 601,323 US residents.
Is Bintou a common name?
We classify Bintou as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 577 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bintou most popular?
The single biggest year for Bintou was 2024, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bintou is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bintou a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bintou 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.