Explore the Family Name Baba
The meaning of Baba
1. Japanese: written 馬場 ‘horse-riding ground, race track’. This is a common placename. This surname is found mostly in west central Japan. One Baba family in Kai (now Yamanashi prefecture) were samurai, vassals of the Takeda family. 2. Muslim: from Arabic bābā, a diminutive of abū ‘father’. 3. Turkish: ornamental name, nickname, or status name from baba ‘father’, also ‘venerable man’. 4. Hungarian (Bába): habitational name from any of several places called Bába, in Abaúj, Borsod, Somogy, and Vas counties of Hungary, and Közép-Szolnok County, now in Romania. 5. Albanian: nickname or status name from baba or babë (definite form baba) ‘father’, also ‘religious head of a Bektashi congregation’, a word of Turkish origin (see 3 above). 6. Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, and Sorbian: from the Slavic word baba ‘(old) woman, grandmother’, figuratively (for a man) ‘coward’, hence an unflattering nickname for a man thought to resemble an old woman or for a coward. The Sorbian surname is found mainly in a Germanized form, Babe. Compare Babik, Babinec. 7. Spanish: nickname from baba ‘slime’. 8. In some cases probably also an American shortened form of Armenian Babaian or Babayan. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Takashi, Tetsuo, Seiji, Tsutomu, Akifumi, Arata, Ayako, Haruo, Haruyo, Hideo, Hikari, Hiroaki. Arabic/Muslim Abbas, Akram, Ali, Bader, Daouda, Essam, Fadi, Fawaz, Faysal, Fuad, Hajji, Idrees.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Baba in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Baba" saw a rise in popularity between the 2000 and 2010 census periods. In 2000, it was ranked as the 17,214th most common name in the United States, but by 2010, it had climbed to the 16,601st spot. This represents a 3.56% uptick in rank. Additionally, the count of individuals with this surname increased from 1,516 in 2000 to 1,727 in 2010, marking a growth rate of nearly 14%. The proportion of individuals named Baba per 100,000 people also rose slightly from 0.56 to 0.59 during this ten-year span.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,214 | #16,601 | 3.56% |
| Count | 1,516 | 1,727 | 13.92% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.56 | 0.59 | 5.36% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Baba
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some significant shifts for those carrying the surname "Baba". While the largest ethnic identity associated with the name remained as White (which saw an increase from 44.72% in 2000 to 48.58% in 2010), there were some notable changes in other groups. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders with this surname decreased from 35.75% to 32.83% over the decade. Similarly, the percentage of individuals identifying with two or more races dropped sharply from 9.76% to 3.65%. On the other hand, the percentage of Black individuals bearing the Baba surname saw a substantial climb from 7.06% in 2000 to 11.70% in 2010. The Hispanic and American Indian/Alaskan Native categories did not record any individuals with this surname in either census year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 44.72% | 48.58% | 8.63% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 35.75% | 32.83% | -8.17% |
| Black | 7.06% | 11.7% | 65.72% |
| Two or More Races | 9.76% | 3.65% | -62.6% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |