Akaylah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "rational", "wise", or "intelligent".
Name Census estimates that about 168 living Americans carry the first name Akaylah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Akaylah today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Akaylah births was 2006 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Akaylah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
168
~ 1 in 2,040,204 Americans
Peak year
2006
21 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2021 SSA rank
#15,358
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Akaylah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Akaylah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 108 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Akaylah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Akaylah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Akaylahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Akaylah
The name Akaylah is of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "akal," meaning "to eat" or "to consume." It likely emerged during the early Islamic period in the Middle East, sometime between the 7th and 10th centuries CE.
In its original Arabic form, the name was spelled "Aqila" or "Aqilah," with the addition of the feminine suffix "-ah." The spelling variation "Akaylah" likely arose later, influenced by the Arabic letter "qaf" (ق) being pronounced differently in various regional dialects.
While the name does not appear in any major religious texts or ancient manuscripts, it may have been used as a descriptive name or nickname for individuals who had a hearty appetite or a passion for food and nourishment.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Akaylah was a 12th-century poet and scholar from Andalusia, in modern-day Spain. Her full name was Akaylah bint al-Muqri, and she was renowned for her contributions to Arabic literature and her patronage of the arts.
Another notable figure was Akaylah al-Dimashqiyah, a 13th-century mystic and Sufi teacher from Damascus, Syria. She was known for her spiritual wisdom and her influence on the Sufi tradition in the region.
In the 16th century, Akaylah al-Khwarizmi was a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Khwarizm, in modern-day Uzbekistan. She made significant contributions to the development of algebra and the study of celestial bodies.
During the 18th century, Akaylah al-Baghdadi was a celebrated calligrapher and artist from Baghdad, Iraq. Her intricate calligraphic works adorned many mosques and palaces throughout the Ottoman Empire.
In the 19th century, Akaylah al-Misriyah was a prominent Egyptian feminist and advocate for women's rights. She campaigned for educational opportunities and legal reforms to improve the status of women in Egyptian society.
While the name Akaylah has been traditionally more prevalent in the Arab world, it has also been adopted by various cultures and communities around the globe, each imbuing it with their own unique cultural significance and interpretations.
People
Akaylah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Akaylah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Akaylah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Akaylah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 168 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Akaylah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,040,204 US residents.
Is Akaylah a common name?
We classify Akaylah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 170 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Akaylah most popular?
The single biggest year for Akaylah was 2006, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Akaylah is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Akaylah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Akaylah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Akaylah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Akaylah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Akaylah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Akaylah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Akaylah?
You can see how many people have the name Akaylah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.