Yaya
How to say it: YA-ya · /ˈjaja/
West African form of Yahya, Arabic for John meaning 'God is gracious'; also affectionate nickname.
Yaya was the 10,809th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 6 babies (Social Security Administration). The 2020s are its busiest decade so far, its births are up 2.2-fold in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #10,873 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #10,809 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 6 |
| Share of births | 1 in 552,557 |
| Peak decade | 2020s |
| Change over 10 years | ×2.2 |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #10,873 |
| In France, 2025 | #889 among boys’ names, 30 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Yaya is a newcomer: almost all of its history is from the last forty years.
What goes with it
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Yaya is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Arabic, English, French.
In France: #889 for boys in 2025.
Famous people named Yaya
- Yaya Touré (born 1983)Ivorian association football player
- Yaya Sanogo (born 1993)French footballer
- Yaya Soumahoro (born 1989)Ivorian footballer
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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