Total births
263
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.
- #7470
- among boys today
- 263
- born since 1993
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 48%
- more common than other boys
Papa currently ranks #7470 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 #7470 as of the latest data, more common than 48% 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.
- #7470 among boys today
- 263 born since 1993
- 2000s peak decade
- 48% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Papa is currently the #7470 boys' name in America, more common than 48% of boys - 263 born since 1993, peaking in the 2000s.
- #7470
- among boys today
- 263
- born since 1993
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 48%
- more common than other boys
Papa vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#7470
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 48% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
42% of everyone ever named Papa was born in this single decade.
2003
Single peak year
14 babies were named Papa in 2003 - its busiest year on record.
How Papa compares
263 43th percentile among 14,294 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 28% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Papa | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 263 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 14 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2003
Current rank
#7,470
Active since
1993
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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% |
New York share of Papa's total US births 8.0%
21 of 263 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Papa? ▼
263 babies have been named Papa since 1993. It currently ranks #7470 among boys. The peak year was 2003 with 14 births.
When was Papa most popular? ▼
Papa was most popular in the 2000s decade with 111 total births. The single peak year was 2003.
Where is Papa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Papa are New York (21 births).
How long has the name Papa been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Papa since 1993 -- 33 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Papa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Pape, Papi. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Papa: #7470 Boys' Name - 263 Births, Peak 2003." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/papa. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.