Haddy
A feminine Gambian name derived from the word "aaddu" meaning "griot".
Name Census estimates that about 170 living Americans carry the first name Haddy. It is a predominantly female name (97.1% of registrations). The average person named Haddy today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Haddy births was 2016 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Haddy. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Haddy with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
170
~ 1 in 2,016,202 Americans
Peak year
2016
13 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2001 SSA rank
#11,180
Tracked since 1998
Census
Haddy in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 437 people with the first name Haddy, which placed it at #22,679 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#22,679
National first-name rank
People counted
437
437 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
64.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haddy
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Haddy is Black at 64.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.1%) and Hispanic (7.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Haddy described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Haddy at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American64.1% · 280
- White21.1% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 17
- Two or more races3.4% · 15
Gender
Gender distribution for Haddy
Haddy leans heavily female at 97.1% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Haddy as a male name
- Ranked #11,180 in 2001
- 5 male births in 2001
- Peak: 2001 (5 births)
Haddy as a female name
- Ranked #16,085 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (13 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Haddy leans strongly female. 394 people counted with this name were female (90.6%), compared with 41 male bearers (9.4%).
Popularity
Haddy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Haddy from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 72 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Haddy remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Haddy 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 Haddy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Haddy
The name Haddy has its origins in the African continent, specifically in the Serer language spoken by the Serer people of Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania. The name is derived from the word "hadd," which means "to be present" or "to exist." It is believed to have been in use as a personal name since ancient times among the Serer people, who have a rich cultural heritage dating back centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Haddy can be found in the writings of the Arab traveler and scholar Ibn Battuta, who visited the region in the 14th century. He documented the name in his travelogue, which provides valuable insights into the cultures and customs of the people he encountered during his journeys.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Haddy. One of the most prominent figures is Haddy N'Jie (1898-1981), a Gambian diplomat and politician who served as the first Speaker of the National Assembly of Gambia after the country gained independence in 1965. He played a crucial role in shaping the nation's political landscape during its early years.
Another historically significant figure is Haddy Ying (1907-1988), a Senegalese educator and women's rights activist. She was a pioneer in promoting education and empowerment for women in her country and was instrumental in establishing several schools and educational programs. Her efforts paved the way for greater gender equality and opportunities for women in Senegal.
In the realm of sports, Haddy N'Diaye (born 1985) is a Senegalese former professional basketball player who competed in the WNBA and several European leagues. She represented Senegal in multiple international competitions and is considered one of the country's greatest athletes.
Another notable individual is Haddy Tope (born 1977), a Gambian-American author and storyteller. Through her writings and performances, she has sought to preserve and share the rich cultural heritage and traditions of her homeland, particularly the oral storytelling traditions of the Serer people.
Lastly, Haddy Faye (1905-1987) was a Senegalese artist and painter known for her vibrant depictions of daily life and traditional scenes in her country. Her works have been exhibited in various galleries and museums, celebrating the cultural diversity and artistic expression of Senegal.
These individuals, and many others throughout history, have carried the name Haddy with pride, contributing to their respective fields and communities while preserving the cultural legacy of the Serer people from which the name originates.
People
Haddy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Haddy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Haddy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Haddy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 170 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Haddy 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 2,016,202 US residents.
Is Haddy a common name?
We classify Haddy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 172 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Haddy most popular?
The single biggest year for Haddy was 2016, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Haddy is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Haddy in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 437 people with the name Haddy, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,679 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Haddy in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Haddy?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Haddy leans strongly female. 394 people counted with this name were female (90.6%), compared with 41 male bearers (9.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Haddy?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Haddy is Black at 64.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.1%) and Hispanic (7.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Haddy most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Haddy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (280 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Haddy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Haddy a female name?
Yes, 97.1% of people registered as Haddy 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.
Is Haddy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Haddy in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Haddy can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are called Haddy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.