Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2009

Saniyah

Meaning radiant Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,284 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

Borrowed from Arabic سنيّة (“radiant”)

Rank 2025
#1,284
among girls · ↑28 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
175
named Saniyah · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,184
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2009
595 babies
All-time total
7,300
#2,018 all-time among girls
First recorded
1997
in Social Security records

Saniyah popularity over time

7,300 babies have been named Saniyah since 1997, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2009Girls

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 – – – –
1980s – – – –
1990s 27 3 – #8,129
2000s 2,984 298 +10952% #507
2010s 3,262 326 +9% #580
2020s (to 2025) 1,027 171 -48% #1,280

Where Saniyah 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 169 0.11 outside top 500
2027 165 0.10 outside top 500
2028 161 0.10 outside top 500
2029 158 0.10 outside top 500
2030 155 0.10 outside top 500

Where Saniyah is most popular

Girls named Saniyah per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.105 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, Virginia, and South Carolina.

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 Saniyah 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 55 0.242 +131%
Virginia 39 0.229 +118%
South Carolina 19 0.211 +101%
North Carolina 45 0.198 +88%
Pennsylvania 46 0.195 +85%
Louisiana 17 0.194 +85%
Florida 71 0.166 +58%
Wisconsin 17 0.165 +57%
Michigan 25 0.137 +31%
New York 54 0.136 +30%
Tennessee 20 0.126 +20%
Ohio 29 0.122 +16%
New Jersey 19 0.105 ≈ national
Texas 82 0.102 ≈ national
Illinois 17 0.074 -29%
Indiana 10 0.071 -32%
California 54 0.064 -39%
Alabama 5 0.053 -49%
Massachusetts 6 0.050 -53%
Maryland 5 0.047 -55%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Saniyah

Saniyah is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,284 in 2025 with 175 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1997, 7,300 American babies have been named Saniyah. Its peak came in 2009, when 595 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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 Saniyah stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Saniyah?

The median living Saniyah is about 14 years old; half are between 9 and 18. An estimated 7,200 people named Saniyah 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.

Saniyah year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 175 #1,284
2024 176 #1,312
2023 150 #1,469
2022 180 #1,317
2021 171 #1,321
2020 175 #1,280
2019 176 #1,306
2018 286 #936
2017 247 #1,045
2016 237 #1,093
2015 292 #931
2014 313 #876
2013 324 #827
2012 412 #684
2011 468 #619
2010 507 #580
2009 595 #507
2008 564 #547
2007 528 #568
2006 396 #715
2005 327 #795
2004 273 #893
2003 161 #1,295
2002 79 #2,138
2001 51 #2,872
2000 10 #9,747
1995 – –
1990 – –
1985 – –
1980 – –
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 Saniyah, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Saniyah?

The median living Saniyah is about 14 years old. Half of all living Saniyahs are between 9 and 18 years old.

How many people named Saniyah are alive today?

An estimated 7,200 people named Saniyah are alive in the United States, based on 7,300 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Saniyah mean?

Borrowed from Arabic سنيّة (“radiant”)

How popular is the name Saniyah in 2025?

Saniyah ranked #1,284 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 175 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Saniyah?

7,300 babies have been named Saniyah in the United States since 1997, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Saniyah most popular?

Saniyah peaked in 2009, when 595 newborns received the name.

Is Saniyah a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Saniyah rising or falling?

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

Will Saniyah become more popular?

Saniyah is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 155 girls named Saniyah in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Saniyah

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

Compare Saniyah with similar names → More names starting with S →