Yaw
Yaw is a masculine given name originating from the Akan people and their day naming system, meaning "born on a Thursday" in Akan language, following their day naming system. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Yaw has the appellation "Preko" or "Opereba" meaning brave.
Meaning & Origin of Yaw
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Yaw is a masculine given name originating from the Akan people and their day naming system, meaning "born on a Thursday" in Akan language, following their day naming system. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Yaw has the appellation "Preko" or "Opereba" meaning brave.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Yaw
Yaw first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1973, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1997: 18 births, good for #3,738 nationwide. About 29% of every Yaw on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. Yaw last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 11 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 398 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Yaw
Phonetically similar names — useful when Yaw is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Yaw
What does the name Yaw mean?
How popular is Yaw in 2026?
When was Yaw most popular?
In which U.S. states is Yaw most popular?
Is Yaw a unisex name?
What names go well with Yaw?
About the name Yaw
Yaw is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1973 and has accumulated 398 births in the dataset. Yaw's peak popularity came in 1997 when it ranked #3,738. Use the chart and map above to compare Yaw's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1997 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "Y" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.