Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2018

Nailah

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,829 Trend ↓ Falling 47%
Rank 2025
#1,829
among girls · ↓24 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
110
named Nailah · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,612
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2018
256 babies
All-time total
4,848
#2,633 all-time among girls
First recorded
1971
in Social Security records

Nailah popularity over time

4,848 babies have been named Nailah 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2018Girls

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 Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 138 14 – #2,970
1980s 206 21 +49% #2,976
1990s 592 59 +187% #1,799
2000s 1,212 121 +105% #1,446
2010s 1,866 187 +54% #1,016
2020s (to 2025) 834 139 -26% #1,229

Where Nailah 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 99 0.06 outside top 500
2027 91 0.06 outside top 500
2028 84 0.05 outside top 500
2029 79 0.05 outside top 500
2030 75 0.05 outside top 500

Where Nailah is most popular

Girls named Nailah per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.080 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, New York, and Pennsylvania.

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 Nailah 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
Georgia 37 0.163 +104%
New York 64 0.162 +102%
Pennsylvania 33 0.140 +75%
Florida 58 0.136 +70%
Maryland 10 0.094 +18%
California 76 0.090 +13%
Connecticut 5 0.086 +8%
New Jersey 15 0.083 ≈ national
Texas 61 0.076 -5%
North Carolina 17 0.075 -7%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -30%
Massachusetts 6 0.050 -38%
Illinois 11 0.048 -40%
Arizona 6 0.043 -46%
Washington 6 0.042 -48%
Indiana 5 0.036 -55%
Michigan 5 0.027 -66%
Ohio 5 0.021 -74%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Nailah

Nailah is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,829 in 2025 with 110 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1971, 4,848 American babies have been named Nailah. Its peak came in 2018, when 256 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 Nailah stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nailah?

The median living Nailah is about 14 years old; half are between 7 and 22. An estimated 4,800 people named Nailah 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.

Nailah year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 110 #1,829
2024 112 #1,805
2023 122 #1,695
2022 140 #1,536
2021 164 #1,350
2020 186 #1,229
2019 231 #1,086
2018 256 #1,016
2017 239 #1,070
2016 159 #1,455
2015 160 #1,445
2014 150 #1,491
2013 179 #1,315
2012 171 #1,372
2011 171 #1,353
2010 150 #1,498
2009 140 #1,608
2008 144 #1,588
2007 137 #1,632
2006 155 #1,446
2005 134 #1,537
2004 137 #1,478
2003 92 #1,981
2002 88 #1,998
2001 89 #1,954
2000 96 #1,811
1995 72 #1,935
1990 35 #3,202
1985 23 #3,696
1980 30 #2,976
1975 17 #3,886
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 Nailah, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Nailah?

The median living Nailah is about 14 years old. Half of all living Nailahs are between 7 and 22 years old.

How many people named Nailah are alive today?

An estimated 4,800 people named Nailah are alive in the United States, based on 4,848 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Nailah in 2025?

Nailah ranked #1,829 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 110 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nailah?

4,848 babies have been named Nailah in the United States since 1971, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nailah most popular?

Nailah peaked in 2018, when 256 newborns received the name.

Is Nailah a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Nailah rising or falling?

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

Will Nailah become more popular?

Nailah is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 75 girls named Nailah in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Nailah

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

Compare Nailah with similar names → More names starting with N →