Rising since 2020.
Popularity of Yaa since 1978
Babies named Yaa per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 12 |
| 1980s | 26 |
| 1990s | 47 |
| 2000s | 96 |
| 2010s | 70 |
| 2020s | 18 |
Meaning & origin
Yaa is a Ghanaian Akan name given to girls born on Thursday. While it does not rank in U.S. top 1000 names, it reached its peak usage in 2005 and has been rising in popularity since 2020. The name belongs to a rich West African day-naming tradition shared with names like Kofi (Friday-born male) and Akua (Wednesday-born female). Although it has no top state concentrations, Yaa represents a meaningful cultural naming practice that has spread through diaspora communities.
Yaa is an Akan name from Ghana, given to females born on a Thursday. In the Akan day-naming tradition, each day of the week has a corresponding name for males and females. Yaa specifically marks Thursday-born females. The practice is rooted in Akan cosmology, where the day of birth is believed to influence personality traits.
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Yaaba, Yaba
Sibling names for Yaa
Names that share Yaa's style, for a brother or sister.
