Ameah
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly derived from the Arabic word "Ameah" meaning "princess".
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the first name Ameah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ameah today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ameah births was 2017 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ameah. 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
147
~ 1 in 2,331,662 Americans
Peak year
2017
17 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,321
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Ameah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ameah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 94 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ameah 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 Ameah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ameah
The given name Ameah is a relatively obscure one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. Some scholars believe it to have roots in ancient Sumerian or Akkadian languages, possibly derived from words meaning "life" or "breath." Others trace its lineage to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, where it may have been associated with concepts of rebirth or renewal.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Ameah are found in fragmentary texts from the ancient Near East, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. These references are scant and offer little context, leaving much room for speculation about the name's original meaning and usage.
In the centuries that followed, the name seems to have faded from prominence, with only a few scattered mentions in historical records. One notable figure bearing this name was Ameah of Antioch, a 4th-century Christian martyr who was allegedly executed for her refusal to renounce her faith.
Fast forward to the Middle Ages, and we find Ameah ibn al-Asam, a 9th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad. His contributions to the fields of algebra and trigonometry were significant, and his work was widely studied throughout the Islamic Golden Age.
Another figure of note was Ameah the Scribe, a 12th-century calligrapher and illuminator from Constantinople. Her exquisite manuscripts, adorned with intricate illustrations and ornate lettering, were highly prized by the Byzantine nobility and clergy.
Jumping ahead to the Renaissance, we encounter Ameah Vespucci, a 15th-century Italian explorer and navigator. Though often overshadowed by her more famous contemporaries, Vespucci's voyages to the New World helped further the understanding of the Americas and contributed to the development of cartography.
Finally, in the 18th century, we have Ameah Nightingale, a British nurse and social reformer who played a pivotal role in improving sanitary conditions and patient care during the Crimean War. Her tireless efforts and compassion earned her the moniker "The Lady with the Lamp," and she is widely regarded as the founder of modern nursing.
While the name Ameah may have fallen into relative obscurity in recent times, its rich history and diverse representations across cultures and eras serve as a testament to its enduring, if enigmatic, legacy.
People
Ameah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ameah 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
Ameah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ameah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 147 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ameah 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 2,331,662 US residents.
Is Ameah a common name?
We classify Ameah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 148 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ameah most popular?
The single biggest year for Ameah was 2017, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ameah is about 12 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 Ameah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ameah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ameah 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 Ameah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ameah 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 Ameah 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 are named Ameah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.