Fatumata
Of Arabic origin, meaning "one who abstains".
Name Census estimates that about 223 living Americans carry the first name Fatumata. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fatumata today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fatumata births was 2004 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fatumata. 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
223
~ 1 in 1,537,015 Americans
Peak year
2004
13 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,979
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Fatumata: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fatumata 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 80 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Fatumata remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fatumata 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 Fatumata during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fatumatas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fatumata
The given name Fatumata is primarily of West African origin, derived from the Arabic name Fatima. It is believed to have emerged as a variant of Fatima among speakers of the Mande language family, which includes Bambara, Malinke, and Maninka languages spoken in Mali, Guinea, and surrounding regions.
The name Fatima itself is rooted in the Arabic word "fatama," meaning "to wean" or "to stop breastfeeding." It was the name given to one of the daughters of the Prophet Muhammad, revered as a prominent figure in Islamic history. Fatima's name carried symbolic significance, representing purity, devotion, and spiritual nourishment.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fatumata can be traced back to the medieval period in West Africa, particularly among the influential empires of the region, such as the Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire. These empires played a crucial role in the spread of Islam across West Africa, and the name Fatumata became a popular choice among Muslim families.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Fatumata was Fatumata Bint al-Abbas, a renowned scholar and poet from the 12th century. She was born in the city of Timbuktu, a prominent center of learning and scholarship during the Golden Age of the Mali Empire. Fatumata Bint al-Abbas was renowned for her contributions to Islamic literature and her poetry, which celebrated the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Another notable figure was Fatumata Diarra, a powerful ruler of the Bambara Empire in the 17th century. She was known for her strategic leadership and her efforts to strengthen the empire's influence in the region. Fatumata Diarra's reign marked a period of cultural and economic prosperity for the Bambara people.
In the 18th century, Fatumata Massaquoi was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Koya, located in present-day Sierra Leone. She was renowned for her diplomatic skills and her efforts to promote peaceful relations between the kingdom and neighboring territories.
Moving forward, Fatumata Touré was a legendary figure in the 19th century, renowned for her role as a military leader and strategist during the Toucouleur Empire's expansion in West Africa. She commanded her own army and played a pivotal role in several battles, earning her the respect and admiration of her people.
In more recent history, Fatumata Diarra Diallo was a prominent scholar and educator from Mali, known for her contributions to the preservation of the country's cultural heritage and her efforts to promote education for women and girls in the 20th century.
People
Fatumata + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fatumata as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fatumata: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fatumata?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 223 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fatumata 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 1,537,015 US residents.
Is Fatumata a common name?
We classify Fatumata as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 226 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fatumata most popular?
The single biggest year for Fatumata was 2004, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fatumata is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fatumata a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fatumata 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.