Fun Facts About the Name Bae
- 33 babies named Bae: U.S. records list 33 babies given the name Bae from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Bae - about 1 boy for every 6 girls.
What Does the Name Bae Mean?
Bae has no single established meaning as a given name. It is best known as a Korean surname, written 배 in Hangul and 裵 in Korean hanja; the hanja form is a variant of the Chinese surname 裴 (Pei). The Chinese character is a surname rather than a common word with a clear translation. The Korean word bae (배) can mean "pear" or "boat," but those are native Korean homophones and are not the source of the surname. When Bae is used as a given name, its meaning would depend on the hanja chosen, so it cannot be translated reliably without knowing that character.
Bae Name History & Origins
The surname Bae is written 배 in Hangul and 裵 in Korean hanja, a variant of the Chinese character 裴. It is divided into clans such as Miryang, Gyeongju, and Seongju. An early historical bearer was 裵玄慶 (Bae Hyeon-gyeong), a general who supported Wang Geon's founding of Goryeo in the early tenth century. Korean clan genealogies, many compiled in later periods, trace individual Bae lines to Goryeo officials and local elites; those traditional accounts mix documented officeholding with descent claims that are harder to verify. The surname's Chinese root, Pei, is an old Chinese surname associated in surname histories with a place in present-day Shanxi. In Korea, the Chinese-character form was read as bae, and the surname became established through officeholding and local clan organization. As a standalone given name, Bae is uncommon in Korea; it is much more familiar as a surname. The English slang word bae is a separate term of endearment and is not the source of the Korean name.
How Popular is the Name Bae?
Bae 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 2014. Its best rank was #10,250 in 2014.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | #15,608 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #10,250 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #12,170 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #17,284 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #12,351 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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 Girl Names That Start with B
Short Girl Names That Start with B
How the Name Bae 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.
✦ Bae's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bae's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.