boy's name
Asa
AY-suh
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 3
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 24,887
the United States
#483
2025 births
Asa is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "healer" or "physician". It belongs to a king of Judah, and it is separately a Japanese word for morning and a Scandinavian element meaning god — three unconnected names in three letters.
- Asa is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 777 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,763 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Asa over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 532 |
| 1890s | 412 |
| 1900s | 244 |
| 1910s | 743 |
| 1920s | 1,022 |
| 1930s | 653 |
| 1940s | 538 |
| 1950s | 448 |
| 1960s | 481 |
| 1970s | 756 |
| 1980s | 1,528 |
| 1990s | 1,976 |
| 2000s | 3,726 |
| 2010s | 5,790 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,218 |
What Asa means
Asa means healer or physician in Hebrew, from a root meaning to cure. The Japanese asa means morning, and the Old Norse áss means a god; neither has any connection to the Hebrew.
Where Asa comes from
Asa renders the Hebrew Asa, generally read from a root meaning to heal, borne by the third king of Judah, who reigned for forty-one years and is credited in Kings with removing idols from the land. English use begins with the Puritans and their taste for Hebrew names from the historical books. Independently, asa is the Japanese word for morning and appears in Japanese names, and the Old Norse áss, a god, gives the Scandinavian Åsa and the first element of Astrid. Three languages, one spelling, no shared history. It appears in our records in every year from 1880.
Asa in use
Asa appears in our records from 1880 and charts in five of the seven countries we track.
How popular is Asa?
In 2025, Asa was given to 696 babies in the United States, ranking #483 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Asa is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Asa
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Asa also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Asa over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Asa in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Asa
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Asa — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Asa
What does the name Asa mean?
Healer or physician, from a Hebrew root meaning to cure.
Is Asa a Japanese name?
Asa is the Japanese word for morning and appears in Japanese names, but it is unrelated to the Hebrew name that sounds the same.
How do you pronounce Asa?
AY-suh is usual in English; the Hebrew is closer to AH-sah.
How popular is the name Asa?
In 2025, Asa was given to 696 babies in the United States, ranking #483 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Asa a girl's or a boy's name?
Asa is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Asa?
Asa has 2 syllables.
When was Asa most popular?
Asa peaked in 2022, when 777 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Asa a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Asa currently ranks #471 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.