Fun Facts About the Name Babak
- 287 babies named Babak: U.S. records list 287 babies given the name Babak from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Babak Mean?
Babak is a Persian masculine name. It goes back to Middle Persian Pābag (also written Pāpak), a diminutive formed from pāp, a familiar word for "father," plus the suffix -ag. Its literal sense is "little father" or "dear father." The New Persian form is Bābak; the shift from p to b reflects the Arabic-script rendering of the name, since Arabic has no /p/ sound. The name is not derived from Arabic bāb ("gate"), despite the similar letters.
Babak Name History & Origins
The name is attested in the Sasanian period as Pābag (also Pāpak). In the early third century, a ruler of Persis named Pābag was the father of Ardashir I, who overthrew Parthian rule and founded the Sasanian Empire in 224. Sasanian royal inscriptions and later histories preserve Pābag in the genealogy of the dynasty.
After the Islamic conquest of Iran, the name continued in New Persian as Bābak. The best-known medieval bearer is Babak Khorramdin (died 838), who led the Khorram-Din movement in Azerbaijan against the Abbasid Caliphate. In modern times, Babak is used as a given name in Iran and among Iranian communities abroad, and the form Babək is also used in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
How Popular is the Name Babak?
Babak has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1987. Its best rank was #2,477 in 1987.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #11,538 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #6,368 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #9,132 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #7,866 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #7,719 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #5,692 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #5,994 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #7,259 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #4,035 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1988 | #4,817 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #2,477 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1986 | #3,669 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1985 | #2,842 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1984 | #3,726 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #4,158 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #2,846 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1981 | #2,688 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1980 | #2,625 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1979 | #2,914 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #3,635 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1977 | #3,218 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #2,959 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #4,846 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #3,584 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1973 | #4,093 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #4,778 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #4,459 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #3,393 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with B
Short Boy Names That Start with B
How the Name Babak Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Babak's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Babak's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.