Holding steady, #9,457 for girls today.
Popularity of Amma since 1886
Babies named Amma per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2019, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Amma's real moment was 1887.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 17 |
| 1890s | 32 |
| 1900s | 37 |
| 1910s | 57 |
| 1920s | 79 |
| 1930s | 38 |
| 1940s | 14 |
| 1950s | 6 |
| 1960s | 5 |
| 1970s | 27 |
| 1980s | 52 |
| 1990s | 48 |
| 2000s | 52 |
| 2010s | 70 |
| 2020s | 45 |
Meaning & origin
Amma is a name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Hebrew 'ammah' meaning 'mother' or from West African day-naming traditions where it denotes a girl born on Saturday. Its use in the United States has been extremely limited. First recorded in 1886, the name saw its highest popularity in 1887, but even then it remained rare. By 2025, Amma ranked 9,457th, with only 1 in 160,727 newborns receiving the name. The name's trajectory has been stable over the decades, never experiencing a revival. It has not been associated with any particular U.S. states in terms of concentration. Amma's obscurity makes it a distinctive choice with quiet cultural and linguistic depth.
The name Amma has multiple proposed origins. In Hebrew, it may derive from 'ammah' meaning 'mother' or 'grandmother'. In Ghana and other parts of West Africa, Amma is a name often given to a girl born on Saturday, following the Akan day-naming tradition. The name saw modest use in the United States in the late 19th century, with its peak year in 1887. Despite its ancient roots, Amma has remained rare in English-speaking countries, used sporadically since the 1880s.
“Amma” around the world
Where Amma lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
5
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Sibling names for Amma
Names that share Amma's style, for a brother or sister.
