Aleysha
A feminine name derived from the Arabic name Aliyah, meaning "sublime" or "exalted".
Name Census estimates that about 567 living Americans carry the first name Aleysha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Aleysha today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aleysha births was 2020 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aleysha. 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
567
~ 1 in 604,505 Americans
Peak year
2020
36 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,141
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Aleysha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aleysha from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 176 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Aleysha remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aleysha 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 Aleysha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aleyshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, Massachusetts, Texas recorded the most babies named Aleysha, while Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aleysha
The name Aleysha is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, where it is derived from the word "al-'aysh," which means "life" or "living." This name was likely first used in the Middle East during the early centuries of Islam, around the 7th or 8th century AD.
In its original Arabic form, the name was spelled as "Alaysha" or "Alayshah," and it was commonly given to girls born in Arabic-speaking regions. The name was meant to convey the idea of a long and prosperous life, reflecting the cultural and religious significance of life in Islamic traditions.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Aleysha can be found in the writings of medieval Arab scholars and poets. For instance, there are references to an Alaysha bint Sulayman, a renowned poetess who lived in the 9th century AD in present-day Iraq.
Throughout history, the name Aleysha has been borne by various notable individuals. In the 12th century, Aleysha al-Baghdadiya was a celebrated Muslim scholar and writer from Baghdad, known for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and literature.
In the 16th century, Aleysha Khanum was a prominent figure in the Mughal Empire, serving as the chief consort of Emperor Humayun and the mother of the famous ruler Akbar the Great.
In the 19th century, Aleysha Begum was a renowned Indian poet and courtesan from Lucknow, whose works were widely acclaimed for their beauty and depth.
Another notable figure with the name Aleysha was Aleysha Jalili, an Iranian writer and activist who lived in the early 20th century and played a significant role in the women's rights movement in her country.
Over time, the name Aleysha has undergone various spelling variations, such as Alaysha, Alaisha, and Aleesha, as it spread to different regions and cultures. However, the underlying meaning and significance of the name have remained largely unchanged, celebrating the precious gift of life and the hope for a long and fulfilling existence.
People
Aleysha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aleysha 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
Aleysha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aleysha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 567 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aleysha 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 604,505 US residents.
Is Aleysha a common name?
We classify Aleysha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 575 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aleysha most popular?
The single biggest year for Aleysha was 2020, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aleysha is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Aleysha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aleysha 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.
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.