girls' name ★ peaked 2011

Aliyah

Meaning Ultimately from Arabic عَالِيَة (ʕāliya) Gender Girl Rank 2025 #263 Trend ↓ Falling 20%

Ultimately from Arabic عَالِيَة (ʕāliya).

Rank 2025
#263
among girls · ↓26 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,188
named Aliyah · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,353
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2011
2,301 babies
All-time total
49,054
#597 all-time among girls
First recorded
1971
in Social Security records

Aliyah popularity over time

49,054 babies have been named Aliyah since 1971, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s 52 – 52 5 – #5,098
1980s 283 – 283 28 +444% #2,745
1990s 5,049 – 5,049 505 +1684% #322
2000s 15,325 22 15,347 1,535 +204% #158
2010s 20,167 21 20,188 2,019 +32% #133
2020s (to 2025) 8,135 – 8,135 1,356 -33% #188

Where Aliyah is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 1,142 0.71 #273
2027 1,104 0.69 #280
2028 1,073 0.67 #287
2029 1,047 0.65 #293
2030 1,026 0.64 #300

Where Aliyah is most popular

Girls named Aliyah per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.814 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, Nevada, and South Dakota.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Aliyah born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Mexico 47 1.93 +137%
Nevada 83 1.79 +120%
South Dakota 22 1.54 +89%
Alaska 13 1.51 +86%
Oregon 92 1.41 +74%
Delaware 16 1.41 +73%
Hawaii 16 1.40 +71%
Arizona 187 1.33 +64%
California 1,119 1.33 +64%
Florida 502 1.17 +44%
Texas 911 1.13 +39%
Minnesota 117 1.08 +33%
Washington 151 1.05 +28%
Utah 85 1.02 +25%
Massachusetts 122 1.01 +24%
New Jersey 182 1.01 +24%
Nebraska 36 1.00 +23%
Maryland 102 0.963 +18%
Mississippi 45 0.962 +18%
West Virginia 25 0.954 +17%
Arkansas 50 0.946 +16%
Virginia 160 0.939 +15%
Illinois 211 0.922 +13%
Indiana 128 0.912 +12%
Georgia 205 0.902 +11%
South Carolina 81 0.901 +11%
Oklahoma 66 0.897 +10%
Connecticut 52 0.894 +10%
Colorado 99 0.887 +9%
New York 336 0.848 ≈ national
Iowa 49 0.839 ≈ national
Louisiana 71 0.811 ≈ national
Ohio 192 0.809 ≈ national
Idaho 27 0.807 ≈ national
Rhode Island 10 0.799 ≈ national
Kansas 46 0.797 ≈ national
Missouri 92 0.763 -6%
Pennsylvania 176 0.744 -9%
North Carolina 167 0.733 -10%
Alabama 63 0.671 -18%
Michigan 119 0.653 -20%
Kentucky 53 0.620 -24%
Tennessee 97 0.612 -25%
Wisconsin 62 0.602 -26%
New Hampshire 10 0.542 -33%
District of Columbia – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Aliyah

Aliyah is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #263 in 2025 with 1,188 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1971, 49,054 American babies have been named Aliyah. Its peak came in 2011, when 2,301 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Aliyah stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Aliyah?

The median living Aliyah is about 14 years old; half are between 8 and 21. An estimated 49 thousand people named Aliyah are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Aliyah year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 1,188 #263 – –
2024 1,314 #237 – –
2023 1,352 #220 – –
2022 1,308 #233 – –
2021 1,441 #208 – –
2020 1,532 #188 – –
2019 1,678 #173 5 #12,228
2018 1,777 #161 – –
2017 1,915 #154 5 #12,346
2016 2,008 #155 – –
2015 1,974 #164 5 #12,174
2014 1,971 #167 – –
2013 2,115 #148 – –
2012 2,265 #140 – –
2011 2,301 #133 – –
2010 2,163 #143 6 #10,826
2009 1,991 #158 – –
2008 1,754 #191 – –
2007 1,611 #213 – –
2006 1,452 #235 6 #10,730
2005 1,462 #233 – –
2004 1,529 #221 11 #6,541
2003 1,392 #236 – –
2002 1,607 #203 5 #10,736
2001 1,411 #226 – –
2000 1,116 #287 – –
1995 785 #338 – –
1990 45 #2,600 – –
1985 27 #3,248 – –
1980 23 #3,510 – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Aliyah, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Aliyah?

The median living Aliyah is about 14 years old. Half of all living Aliyahs are between 8 and 21 years old.

How many people named Aliyah are alive today?

An estimated 49 thousand people named Aliyah are alive in the United States, based on 49,054 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Aliyah mean?

Ultimately from Arabic عَالِيَة (ʕāliya).

How popular is the name Aliyah in 2025?

Aliyah ranked #263 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,188 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Aliyah?

49,054 babies have been named Aliyah in the United States since 1971, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Aliyah most popular?

Aliyah peaked in 2011, when 2,301 newborns received the name.

Is Aliyah a boy or girl name?

Aliyah is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Aliyah rising or falling?

Aliyah is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Aliyah become more popular?

Aliyah is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,026 girls named Aliyah in 2030, which would rank around #300. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Aliyah

Names that sound and feel close to Aliyah: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Aliyah with similar names → More names starting with A →