Binta
Feminine · “daughter”
Binta is a daughter. The Arabic bint means exactly that, and it appears in Arabic names constantly, in the phrase that gives a woman's parentage; across Senegal, the Gambia and Mali it became a name in its own right, one of the most-given in the region.
How old is the name Binta?
Binta first appears in US birth records in 1972 — 53 years ago. The typical Binta alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 600 people named Binta are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Binta most popular?
Binta peaked in 1977, reaching #4235 nationally. Today it ranks #5099, 864 places below that high. See the whole 1977 chart.
Where it comes from
From bint to Binta
The story of Binta
Islam reached West Africa across the Sahara by trade, and the Arabic naming vocabulary arrived with it and was reshaped: Hawwa became Awa, Fatima became Fatoumata, Aminata came from Amina, and bint became Binta. It has been among the commonest women's names in Senegal, Mali and the Gambia for generations. The name is well known in the English-speaking world through a widely read American family history published in the nineteen-seventies.
Meaning
daughter
Arabic bint, a daughter, which stands in Arabic names between a woman's own name and her father's. West African languages took it as a name on its own, with an added vowel that Wolof, Fula and Mandinka phonology prefers.
How the name formed
- bint
- Binta
Related forms: بنت · Binta · Binta
Pronouncing Binta
BEEN-tah
Two syllables, stress in front, the first vowel long. English speakers say it correctly without being told.
Nicknames for Binta
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1972
- Most girls named
- 200728 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #4235reached in 1977
- Change vs 2024
- +38.9%25 in 2025, from 18
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Binta in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- بنت in Arabic — related form
- Binta in Fula — same name
- Binta in Wolof — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, Washington, Ohio.
Bintas among us
people named Binta are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 64,291 born in 2025 was named Binta
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Jonnette test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Binta's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Jonnette climbed just as high around 1949, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Jonnette's path sketches the road Binta is walking now.
Binta sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Binta is headed
Binta should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Binta beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Binta in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is one plain word and needs no explaining anywhere Arabic is understood.
- Two syllables and five letters make it fast to write and easy to say.
- It is one of the commonest names in West Africa, so it arrives with a large community.
- The clipped form Bint is a coarse insult in British English, so short forms need choosing carefully.
- Binta and Bintou are both used, so records within a family may differ.
- It is a word for a relationship rather than a quality, which some families find plain and others find warm.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Binta to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Binta
Feminine · #5099 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Bintas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Binta are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Binta in 2025?
- Binta ranks #5099 among US girl names in 2025, with 25 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Binta?
- About 1 in every 64,291 US girls born in 2025 was named Binta — 25 in all.
- Will my child share the name Binta with classmates?
- Binta will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Binta
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Janette#5099 · Loraine#5099 · Delfina#5099 · Hali#5099 · Mecca#5099 · Zoi#5099 · Afia#5099 · Emelie#5099
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Binta? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Binta and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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