Bahiya
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "splendid" or "shining".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Bahiya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bahiya today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bahiya births was 1974 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bahiya. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bahiya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1974
5 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2007 SSA rank
#18,023
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Bahiya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bahiya from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Bahiya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bahiya 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 Bahiya 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 Bahiya
The name Bahiya is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the root word "baha," which means "to shine" or "to be beautiful." The name is thought to have emerged during the early Islamic period, around the 7th century CE.
In Arabic, the name Bahiya can be transliterated as "بهية" or "بهيّة," and it is often given to girls with the intention of wishing them a beautiful and radiant life. The name is commonly found in various regions with significant Arabic-speaking populations, including the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Bahiya can be found in the Islamic religious text, the Hadith. According to tradition, Bahiya bint Huyayy was a woman from the tribe of Banu Ghifar who lived during the time of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE. She is known for being one of the first women to embrace Islam and is celebrated for her piety and devotion.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Bahiya. One of the most famous was Bahiya al-Maliki (1153-1223 CE), a renowned Sufi mystic and scholar from Andalusia (modern-day Spain). She was known for her spiritual teachings and her contributions to the field of Islamic mysticism.
Another prominent figure was Bahiya Bintu'l-Mutanabbi (915-965 CE), an Arab poet and literary figure from modern-day Iraq. She was the daughter of the celebrated poet Al-Mutanabbi and was known for her own poetic talents and literary works.
In the 13th century, Bahiya al-Malikiyya (1193-1266 CE) was a prominent Sufi saint and spiritual leader from Damascus, Syria. She was revered for her wisdom and her teachings on the mystical path of Islam.
In more recent times, Bahiya Hariri (1952-2014) was a Lebanese politician and businesswoman who played a significant role in the politics of Lebanon and the reconstruction efforts after the country's civil war.
Bahiya Al-Yamaniyah (born in the 9th century CE) was an influential Arab female scholar and poet from Yemen. She was renowned for her expertise in various fields, including Arabic literature, grammar, and hadith (Islamic traditions).
The name Bahiya has carried a rich history and significance within the Arabic-speaking world, often associated with beauty, radiance, and spiritual enlightenment. Its origins can be traced back to the early days of Islam, and it has been borne by notable figures throughout the centuries, including poets, mystics, scholars, and political leaders.
People
Bahiya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bahiya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bahiya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bahiya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bahiya 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Bahiya a common name?
We classify Bahiya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bahiya most popular?
The single biggest year for Bahiya was 1974, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bahiya is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bahiya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bahiya 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.