Papa
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- PAH-pah
- Origin
- French
- UK rank, 2025
- #4,301 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #12,003 for boys
Papa is a boys' name of French origin, meaning “father”. In 2025 it ranked 4,301st for boys in the UK (4 babies) and 12,003rd for boys in the US (5 babies).
What does Papa mean?
French: nursery word for 'father', used as a given name in West Africa
“father”
Common as a given name in Senegal and Ghana, as borne by the Senegalese footballer Papa Bouba Diop.
Is Papa a girl's or a boy's name?
Papa is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 4 boys in the UK and 5 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Papa in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 4,301st among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 4 about 1 in 75,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 6% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 4 boys in the UK were named Papa, making it the 4,301st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,562nd. Its busiest year was 2007, with 11 boys.
Half of all the boys named Papa in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 4,212th in England and Wales.
Papa in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | #4,301 |
| 2024 | 5 | #3,772 |
| 2023 | 8 | #2,691 |
| 2022 | 5 | #3,639 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 8 | #2,562 |
| 2019 | 4 | #4,126 |
| 2018 | 4 | #4,169 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 6 | #3,149 |
| 2014 | 5 | #3,529 |
| 2013 | 8 | #2,541 |
| 2012 | 7 | #2,849 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 6 | #3,092 |
| 2009 | 8 | #2,445 |
| 2008 | 9 | #2,212 |
| 2007 | 11 | #1,848 |
| 2006 | 5 | #3,013 |
| 2005 | 5 | #2,885 |
| 2004 | 4 | #3,147 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 5 | #2,358 |
| 2001 | 7 | #1,833 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 4 | #2,531 |
| 1997 | 3 | #2,979 |
How popular is Papa in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 12,003rd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 5 about 1 in 340,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to call too few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 5 boys in the US were named Papa, making it the 12,003rd most popular name for boys. Its busiest year was 2003, with 14 boys. It first appears in the records in 1993.
Half of all the boys named Papa in the US since 1880 were born between 2003 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
Papa in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #12,003 |
| 2024 | 11 | #7,252 |
| 2023 | 9 | #8,250 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 7 | #9,709 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 12 | #6,699 |
| 2017 | 9 | #8,136 |
| 2016 | 12 | #6,721 |
| 2015 | 11 | #7,061 |
| 2014 | 7 | #9,636 |
| 2013 | 10 | #7,532 |
| 2012 | 7 | #9,703 |
| 2011 | 7 | #9,593 |
| 2010 | 10 | #7,585 |
| 2009 | 11 | #7,231 |
| 2008 | 9 | #8,319 |
| 2007 | 12 | #6,618 |
| 2006 | 12 | #6,455 |
| 2005 | 11 | #6,628 |
| 2004 | 14 | #5,487 |
| 2003 | 14 | #5,265 |
| 2002 | 10 | #6,515 |
| 2001 | 9 | #6,928 |
| 2000 | 9 | #6,832 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 6 | #8,472 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 6 | #7,964 |
| 1995 | 10 | #5,495 |
| 1994 | 7 | #6,962 |
| 1993 | 6 | #7,631 |
Names like Papa
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Aarav, Yuvraj, Pranav, Prithvi, Krishiv, Avi, Vihaan, Shivansh, Krishna, Priyansh, Dhruv, Veer
Names related to Papa
More French names
Eleanor, Beau, Esme, Darcie, Darcy, Genevieve, Amy, Esmae, Arleth, Elle, Russell, Monty, Mallory, Percy, Lacey, Belle
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Papa: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/papa, updated 20 October 2026.