Avayah
A feminine name derived from the Hebrew "Avah" meaning "desire" or "longing".
Name Census estimates that about 2,051 living Americans carry the first name Avayah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Avayah today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Avayah births was 2021 (320 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Avayah. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Avayah with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Avayah is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 7 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 167,116 Americans
Peak year
2021
320 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,120
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Avayah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Avayah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 1,411 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Avayah 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 Avayah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Avayahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 28 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Avayah, while Tennessee, Oregon, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 46 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Avayah
The name Avayah has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word "Avah," meaning "to pass away" or "to breathe one's last." This could suggest a connection to the cycle of life and mortality.
The name's roots can be found in various ancient Hebrew texts and scriptures, though its earliest recorded use is somewhat obscure. One of the earliest known individuals to bear this name was Avayah ben Aviyah, a Levite priest who lived during the 6th century BCE in ancient Israel.
Throughout history, the name Avayah has been carried by several noteworthy individuals. One such person was Avayah ha-Kohen, a renowned Jewish scholar and philosopher from the 11th century CE in Spain. His writings and teachings had a significant impact on Jewish thought during the medieval period.
Another prominent figure with this name was Avayah ben Eliyahu, a 12th-century Jewish scholar and poet from Provence, France. He is best known for his compositions in Hebrew poetry and his contributions to the field of Jewish liturgy.
In the 15th century, Avayah ben Yosef Abulafia was a renowned Kabbalist and mystic from Spain. His works on Jewish mysticism and esoteric teachings were highly influential in his time and continue to be studied by scholars today.
Lastly, Avayah Leibowitz, born in 1921 and passed away in 2022, was a prominent Israeli author and scholar. She dedicated her life to the study and promotion of Jewish values and ethics, authoring numerous books and articles on these subjects.
While the name Avayah may have fallen out of widespread use in recent times, its historical significance and deep-rooted connections to ancient Hebrew culture and traditions remain intact. Its meaning and the stories of those who have borne this name serve as a testament to the rich tapestry of human history and cultural diversity.
People
Avayah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Avayah 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
Avayah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Avayah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,051 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Avayah 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 167,116 US residents.
Is Avayah a common name?
We classify Avayah as "Rare". It ranks above 93.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,064 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Avayah most popular?
The single biggest year for Avayah was 2021, when 320 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Avayah is about 7 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 Avayah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Avayah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Avayah 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 Avayah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Avayah 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 Avayah 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 Avayah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.