Papa
An informal given name derived from the baby's first utterance.
Name Census estimates that about 255 living Americans carry the first name Papa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Papa today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Papa births was 2003 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Papa. 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
255
~ 1 in 1,344,135 Americans
Peak year
2003
14 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,586
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Papa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Papa 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 111 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Papa 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 Papa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Papas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Papa
The name Papa is rooted in the Latin language and can be traced back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "pāpa," which means "father" or "daddy." This term was initially used as a term of endearment and respect for a male parental figure.
In the early days of Christianity, the word "papa" was adopted as a title for bishops and other high-ranking clergy members within the Catholic Church. It eventually became the official title for the Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, further solidifying its association with religious authority and reverence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Papa appears in the Bible. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus refers to God as "Abba," which is an Aramaic term similar to "papa" and connotes a familiar and intimate relationship between a child and their father.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Papa. In the 5th century, Pope Papa I reigned as the Bishop of Rome from 417 to 418 AD. Another prominent figure was Papa Westray, a Scottish poet and satirist who lived in the late 16th century and was known for his biting commentary on contemporary society.
In the realm of music, Papa Wemba, a Congolese singer and musician born in 1949, was a pioneering figure in the Soukous genre and became known as the "King of Rumba Rock." His real name was Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba.
Papa Haydn, born in 1732 and often referred to as the "Father of the Symphony," was an Austrian composer who made significant contributions to the development of classical music. His full name was Franz Joseph Haydn.
Another noteworthy individual was Papa Celestin, a New Orleans musician and bandleader born in 1884, who played a pivotal role in the early development of jazz music in the city. His real name was Alphonse Celestin.
While the name Papa has its roots in Latin and was initially associated with religious and familial contexts, it has since been adopted across various cultures and languages, often carrying connotations of respect, authority, and affection for a paternal figure.
People
Papa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Papa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Papa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Papa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 255 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Papa 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 1,344,135 US residents.
Is Papa a common name?
We classify Papa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 258 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Papa most popular?
The single biggest year for Papa was 2003, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Papa is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Papa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Papa in the SSA data are male. 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.