Baba can be a surname in several cultures such as Dravidian, Japanese, Turkics, and Yoruba. It is also a nickname for 'father' in some languages, and translates to "father" in the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, Persian and Shona languages. In various

Slavic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavs, Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic language, Proto- ...

“baba” means an “old lady” (as in the diminutive variation babushka).

First name

* Baba Abdulai Musah (born 1996), Ghanaian professional footballer * Baba Adamu Iyam (born 1948), Nigerian soldier who served as Military Administrator of Kwara State * Baba Adeeko (born 2003), Irish professional footballer * Baba Balababa oghlu Aliyev (Azerbaijani: Baba Balababa oğlu Əliyev) (1915—1991), Azerbaijani painter, People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR, Chairman of the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan * Baba Aparajith (born 1994), Indian cricketer * Baba Ayagiba, Ghanaian politician * Baba Balia (born 1954), Indian spiritual guru and preacher * Baba Buddha (Gurmukhi: ਬਾਬਾ ਬੁੱਢਾ; bābā buḍhā; lit. meaning "wise old man") (1506–1631), Indian prime figure in early Sikhism * Baba Bhaskar, Indian dance choreographer, director and actor * Baba Brinkman, Canadian environmental rapper * Baba Fasiuddin (born 1984), Indian politician * Baba Fighani Shirazi (also spelled Faghani; died 1519), Persian poet active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries * Baba Hari Dass (Devanagari: बाबा हरि दास) (1923–2018), Indian yoga master, silent monk, temple builder, and commentator of Indian scriptural traditions of

dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

and

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

* Baba Haruna (born 2002), Ghanaian professional footballer * Baba Iddi (born 1982), Ghanaian football striker * Baba Ishak (died 1241), Seljuk Turkish preacher who led a revolt against the Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm * Baba Jan (politician) (born 1974), Pakistani political activist * Baba Keenaram, Indian Aghori ascetic * Babagana Kingibe (born 1945), Nigerian diplomat, politician and civil servant * Babajide Collins Babatunde (born 1988), Nigerian former professional footballer * Baba Malick N'Diaye (born 1983), former Qatari footballer who played as a goalkeeper * Baba Nobuharu (1514–1575), samurai of Japan's Sengoku period under Takeda Shingen * Baba Rahman (born 1994), Ghanaian footballer * Baba Tahir (Persian: باباطاهر عریان همدانی), an 11th-century dervish poet from Hamadan, Iran * Baba Tatsui (馬場辰猪, 1850–1888), Japanese legislative reformer during the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

Nickname

* Afdal al-Din Kashani (Persian: افضل‌الدین مَرَقی کاشانی) also known as “Baba Afzal” (Persian: بابا افضل‌), Persian poet and philosopher * Akiko Iwata (岩田暁子, born 1928), also known by nickname “Akiko Baba” (馬場あき子), Japanese tanka poet and literary critic * Ali Ardekani (Persian: علی اردکانی; born 1974), best known by his stage name “Baba Ali” (Persian: بابا علی), Iranian-born American comedian, games developer, businessman, and actor * Aruj Barbarossa (1474–1518), known as Oruç Reis/Baba Aruj (Arabic: عروج بربروس) to the Turks, was an Ottoman corsair who became Sultan of Algiers. * Ana di Pištonja, better known as “Baba Anujka” (Serbian Cyrillic: Баба Анујка; 1838–1938), Serbo-Romanian convicted serial killer amateur chemist from the village of Vladimirovac * Baba Adamu (born 1979), known occasionally simply by his nickname “Armando”, Ghanaian former professional football striker * Farīd al-Dīn Mas'ūd Ganj-i Shakar (1173–1266), commonly known as “Bābā Farīd” or Shaykh Farīd (also in Anglicised spelling Fareed), a 13th-century Pakistani of Punjabi Muslim preacher, poet and mystic * Baba Sehgal, known as “Harjeet Singh Sehgal”, (born 1965), Indian rapper * Edmond Brahimaj (born 1959), commonly known as Baba Mondi, Albanian religious leader and the eighth Bektashi Muslims * , known as “Baba no Yorimasa”, Japanese poet, aristocrat and

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

lord * Mashrab, also known as “Bābārahim Mashrab” (Боборахим Машраб, Boborahim Mashrab) (1653–1711), a classic figure in Uzbek literature * Baruch Abuhatzeira (; born 1941), known as “Baba Baruch”, Moroccan-

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i Kabbalist rabbi and spiritual * Barbara Jessica Hardy Beaton (1912–1973), known as “Baba Beaton”, English socialite * DJ Ozma (born 1979), known as Nao Baba (馬場直), Japanese pop singer * Midori Matsushima (松島みどり, born 1956), Japanese politician. Her official name is “Midori Baba” (馬場みどり) * Nanak Dev (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: gʊɾuː naːnək), also known as “Baba Nanak”, Indian founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten

Sikh Gurus The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...

* Ghulam Ahmed Chishti (1905–1994), Pakistani music composer. He is also sometimes referred to as “Baba Chishti” * Tariku Birhanu (Amharic: ታሪኩ ብርሃኑ; (1983–2022), stage name Baba, Ethiopian actor * Hardev Singh (1954–2016), also known as “Nirankari Baba”, Indian spiritual guru and chief leader of the Sant Nirankari Mission * Israel Abuhatzeira (Hebrew: ר׳ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַבּוּחַצִירָא), known as the “Baba Sali” (Arabic: بابا صلى, Hebrew: בַּאבָּא סָאלִי, lit. "Praying Father") (1889–1984), leading Moroccan

Sephardic Jews Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

rabbi * Mokō (もこう, born 1990), known professionally as “Yutaka Baba” (馬場豊), Japanese internet celebrity *

Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (Kenya), Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013 and has ...

(born 1945), Kenyan politician and 2nd Prime Minister of Kenya (2008–2013) * Riria Baba (馬場梨里杏, born 1993), known professionally as “Riria” (梨里杏) and “Riria Kojima” (小島梨里杏), Japanese actress * Sanjay Dutt (born 1959), Indian film actor and producer * Starina Novak (–1601), Serbian hajduk, also known as “Baba Novac” ("Old Novak") in Romanian * Veersen Aanandrao known as “Baba Kadam”, an Indian novelist famous for his

detective novels Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...

* Wakashoyo Shunichi (若翔洋俊一, born 1966), known as “Yoichi Babaguchi”, Japanese mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and former sumo wrestler * Baba Vanga (Bulgarian: Баба Ванга, lit. 'Grandmother Vanga'), Bulgarian attributed mystic and healer who claimed to have foreseen the future

Surname

* Atsuko Baba (馬場敦子, born 1995), Japanese female handball player for Hokkoku Bank and the Japanese national team * Corneliu Baba (1906–1997), Romanian painter * Eiichi Baba (馬場鍈一, 1879–1937), Japanese bureaucrat and cabinet minister in early Shōwa period * Frank Shozo Baba (1915–2008), Japanese American who worked for Voice of America and Japan * Fumika Baba (馬場ふみか, born 1995), Japanese actress and model * Ghafar Baba (1925–2006), Malaysian politician * James Baba (born 1945), Ugandan politician *

Jaroslav Bába Jaroslav Bába () (born 2 September 1984 in Karviná) is a Czech Republic, Czech high jumper. At the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships he jumped 2.25 metres, winning a joint bronze medal along with Germaine Mason and Ştefan Vasilache. In th ...

(born 1984), Czech high jumper * Kenji Baba (born 1985), Japanese footballer * Kikutaro Baba (1905–2001), Japanese malacologist * Kosuke Baba (馬場皐輔, born 1995), Japanese professional baseball pitcher * Masao Baba (1892–1947), Japanese general * Naoto Baba (馬場直人, born 1996), Japanese cross-country skier who competes internationally * Naruatsu Baba (馬場功淳, botn 1978), Japanese smartphone game developer and businessman * Nobuyuki Baba (馬場伸幸, born 1965), Japanese politician * Noriko Baba (馬場典子, born 1977), former Japanese women national football player * Ryouma Baba (馬場良馬, born 1984), Japanese actor * , Japanese artistic gymnast * Saki Baba (馬場咲希, born 2005), Japanese women professional golfer * , Japanese actress and former member idol group

HKT48 HKT48 (read "H.K.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. HKT48 is named after the Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Hakata-ku ward of Fukuoka, where Akimoto originally intended to base the group. The group currently performs at ...

* , Japanese professional footballer * Shigeru Baba (born 1948), Japanese professional go player * Shohei Baba (1938–1999), Japanese wrestler * Sumie Baba (born 1967), Japanese voice actress * Tadao Baba (born 1944), Japanese motorcycle engineer * Takumi Baba, Japanese professional wrestler * Toru Baba (born 1988), Japanese entertainer * Toshifumi Baba (馬場敏史, born 1965), former Japanese baseball player * Tupeni Baba (), Fijian politician * Yudai Baba (born 1995), Japanese basketball player * Yuki Baba (born 1992), Japanese politician * Yuta Baba (born 1984), Japanese expatriate footballer in South Korea

Honorific

The following have adopted the honorific ''Baba'': * Aḥmad Bābā al-Timbuktī (Arabic: أحمد بابا التمبكتي), full name Abū al-Abbās Aḥmad ibn Aḥmad ibn Aḥmad ibn Umar ibn Muhammad Aqit al-Takrūrī Al-Massufi al-Timbuktī (1556–1627), Malinese Sanhaja Berber writer, scholar, and political provocateur * Rachid Baba Ahmed () (1946–1945), Algerian record producer, composer, and singer * Baba Ram Das (1931–2019), born Richard Alpert, American spiritual teacher and psychologist * Baba Ramdevji (1352–1385), a Hindu ruler venerated as a folk deity in Gujarat and Rajasthan * Baba Bulleh Shah (1680–1757), a Punjabi philosopher and Sufi poet * Demir Baba, a 16th-century Alevi saint * Haji Baba Sheikh (Kurdish: Hacî Baba Şêx – Bukan), Kurdish prime minister of the Republic of Mahabad *

Gül Baba Gül Baba (died 1541), also known as Jafer, was an Ottoman Bektashi dervish poet and companion of Sultan Suleiman I () who took part in a number of campaigns in Europe from the reign of Mehmed II onwards. Biography A native of Merzifon ...

(died 1541), an Ottoman Bektashi dervish poet * Gurdwara Baba Atal ( Punjabi pronunciation: �ʊɾᵊd̪ʊäːɾäː bäːbäː əʈʈəɭᵊ (died 1628), Indian famous

Gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

dedicated to Atal Rai, son of Guru Hargobind and Mata Nanaki * Meher Baba (1894–1969), born Merwan Sheriar Irani, Indian guru * Otman Baba (–1478), a dervish traveling throughout the Ottoman Empire * Rehman Baba (1632–1706), an Afghan Sufi Dervish and poet * Sai Baba of Shirdi (–1918), Indian guru * Sathya Sai Baba (1926–2011), born Sathya Narayana Raju, Indian guru purporting to be a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi * Sersem Ali Baba, a 16th-century Ottoman dervish * Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed (born 1969), Nigerian economist and politician

First name

Nickname

Surname

Honorific

See also