Danayah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has judged".
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the first name Danayah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Danayah today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Danayah births was 2008 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Danayah. 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
137
~ 1 in 2,501,856 Americans
Peak year
2008
13 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,786
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Danayah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Danayah 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 88 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
Danayah 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 Danayah 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 Danayah
The given name Danayah is of Arabic origin, tracing its roots back to the ancient Semitic languages of the Middle East. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "dana," which means "to approach" or "to come near." The name Danayah, therefore, can be interpreted as "the one who approaches" or "the one who comes near."
The earliest known use of the name Danayah can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic Golden Age. It was a name commonly given to girls born in the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding regions, reflecting the cultural and linguistic traditions of the time.
In the centuries that followed, the name Danayah appeared in various historical records and literary works across the Islamic world. One notable mention is found in the ancient Arabic poetry collection, "Diwan Al-Hamasa," compiled by Abu Tammam in the 9th century CE, where a female poet bore the name Danayah.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Danayah. One such person was Danayah bint Al-Hasan (born circa 850 CE), a renowned scholar and poet from the Abbasid Caliphate era, known for her contributions to Arabic literature and Islamic studies.
Another notable figure was Danayah Al-Andalusiyah (born around 1020 CE), a celebrated female mathematician and astronomer from the Andalusian region of present-day Spain. Her groundbreaking work in the field of mathematics and celestial observations earned her widespread recognition during the Islamic Golden Age.
In the 12th century, Danayah bint Abi Bakr (born circa 1120 CE) was a respected Islamic scholar and jurist from Damascus, renowned for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her teachings on the Sharia law.
During the Ottoman Empire era, Danayah Khatun (born around 1550 CE) was a prominent figure who served as the chief consort of Sultan Murad III. She played an influential role in the political and cultural affairs of the Ottoman court.
In more recent times, Danayah Al-Jazi (1914-2010) was a pioneering Syrian writer and feminist activist, known for her contributions to modern Arabic literature and her advocacy for women's rights in the Arab world.
While these are just a few examples, the name Danayah has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage across the Arab and Islamic world.
People
Danayah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Danayah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Danayah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Danayah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 137 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Danayah 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 2,501,856 US residents.
Is Danayah a common name?
We classify Danayah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 139 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Danayah most popular?
The single biggest year for Danayah was 2008, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Danayah 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 Danayah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Danayah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Danayah 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 Danayah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Danayah 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 Danayah 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 called Danayah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.