Oumou
Feminine · “mother of”
Oumou is a West African name from the Arabic Umm Kulthum, and the first element is simply the word for a mother.
How old is the name Oumou?
Oumou first appears in US birth records in 1996 — 29 years ago. The typical Oumou is a kid of about 12 — this name's wave is very recent. About 800 people named Oumou are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Oumou most popular?
Oumou peaked in 2013, reaching #3573 nationally. Today it ranks #4067, 494 places below that high. See the whole 2013 chart.
Where it comes from
From Umm Kulthum to Oumou
The story of Oumou
Arabic names entered West Africa with Islam and were reshaped by Mande, Fula and Wolof phonology — Muhammad became Mamadou, Aisha became Aissatou, Umm Kulthum became Oumou and Oumoul Khairy. The pattern is consistent and centuries old. Oumou is very widely used in Mali, Guinea, Senegal and Ivory Coast, and reaches American records with families from all of them.
Meaningscholars disagree
mother of
From Arabic umm, a mother, the opening of Umm Kulthum — a daughter of the Prophet and, much later, the most celebrated singer in the Arab world. Mande and Fula languages reshaped the borrowing as Oumou and Oumoul.
How the name formed
- Umm Kulthum
- Oumou
Related forms: Umm Kulthum · Oumou · Oumy
Pronouncing Oumou
OO-moo
Two syllables, first stressed. The French spelling ou is the oo sound.
Nicknames for Oumou
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
- 1996
- Most girls named
- 201343 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3573reached in 2013
- Change vs 2024
- +6.1%35 in 2025, from 33
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.
Oumou in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Umm Kulthum in Arabic — related form
- Oumou in French — same name
- Oumy in Wolof — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
Oumous among us
people named Oumou are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 45,922 born in 2025 was named Oumou
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 Samar test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Oumou's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Samar climbed just as high around 1998, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Samar's path sketches the road Oumou is walking now.
Oumou 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 Oumou is headed
Oumou should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium 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.
Oumou beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Oumou in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled Arabic element with a very deep West African tradition behind it.
- Five letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- Very widely used across Mali, Guinea, Senegal and Ivory Coast.
- The ou spelling is French and English readers will say OW-moo.
- Oumou, Oumy and Oumoul are all in use and mark different countries.
- It is entirely unfamiliar outside West African communities in America.
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What they receive
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Oumou
Feminine · #4067 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Oumous are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Oumou are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Oumou in 2025?
- Oumou ranks #4067 among US girl names in 2025, with 35 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Oumou?
- About 1 in every 45,922 US girls born in 2025 was named Oumou — 35 in all.
- Will my child share the name Oumou with classmates?
- Oumou will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Oumou
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Eli#4067 · Peace#4067 · Medina#4067 · Darlin#4067 · Anja#4067 · Sparrow#4067 · Liani#4067 · Salina#4067
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Oumou? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Oumou and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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