Haley was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa at Bamberg County Hospital in Bamberg, South Carolina, to immigrant Indian Punjabi Sikh parents from Punjab, India. Her father, Ajit Singh Randhawa, and her mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa, emigrated to the United States from Amritsar District, Punjab, India.Her father was formerly a professor at Punjab Agricultural University, and her mother received her law degree from the University of Delhi. Haley was known by her middle name, Nikki, a Punjabi name, from her earliest years.