Boys' name · since 1993
Papa
263 babies named Papa in U.S. Social Security records since 1993, with the highest year being 2003. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #11,377 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,638 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 263
- born since 1993
- 2000s
- peak decade
Papa currently ranks #12638 among boys' names in America, with 263 babies recorded since 1993.
Papa has 263 recorded births among boys since 1993, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #12638 as of the latest data, more common than 9% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1993 to 2025.
- #11,377 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,638 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 263 born since 1993
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Papa ranks #11,377 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,638 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 263 born since 1993, peaking in the 2000s.
- #11,377 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,638 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 263
- born since 1993
- 2000s
- peak decade
Papa's 263 recorded births place it above 74.97% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by New York.
How Papa compares
263 43rd percentile among 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Papa's all-time total is 29% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Papa | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 263 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 14 | 34 | 22,252 |
Papa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Papa's SSA record in two at 2009 and the more recent half accounts for 49% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 51%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2003 peak of 14, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Papa popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1993–2025
- Peak year (2003)
- 14
- Annual births at peak, across 33 years of records
Papa by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (111 births, 42% of the file).
2000s was Papa's strongest decade.
111 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Papa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s 35
1990s
35 births
- 2000s
2000s
111 births
- 2010s
2010s
85 births
- 2020s 32
2020s
32 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 111 births (42% of all-time use).
Papa by state
Where Papa concentrates geographically, total births since 1993
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 21 | 8.0% |
21 of 263 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Papa's data
- Papa's decade-level peak was the 2000s (111 total births); usage has since declined to 32 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Papas (21 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Papa
Nearby Names Like Papa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Papa
Compare Papa side by side: Papa vs Pape Papa vs Papi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Papa
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Papa: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2003)
Similar record span (~32 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1993–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Papa draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.