Emiah
Feminine name of undetermined origin, possibly meaning "industrious, hard-working".
Name Census estimates that about 220 living Americans carry the first name Emiah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emiah today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emiah births was 2014 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emiah. 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
220
~ 1 in 1,557,974 Americans
Peak year
2014
19 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,494
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Emiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emiah 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 109 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
Emiah 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 Emiah 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 Emiah
The given name Emiah has its roots in the Aramaic language, which was widely spoken in ancient Mesopotamia and the Levant regions during the first millennium BCE. The name is derived from the Aramaic word "emah," meaning "truth" or "faithfulness." It is believed to have been introduced into the Arabic-speaking world during the early Islamic era when Aramaic was still prevalent in certain regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emiah can be found in the writings of the 9th-century Islamic scholar, Al-Bukhari, who mentioned a companion of the Prophet Muhammad named Emiah ibn Khalid. This individual was known for his piety and devotion to the Islamic faith.
In the 11th century, a notable figure named Emiah al-Andalusi gained prominence in the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). He was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of algebra and the study of celestial bodies.
Another historical figure bearing the name Emiah was a 14th-century Persian poet and mystic, Emiah Rumi. He was a disciple of the renowned Sufi master, Rumi, and his works are still widely studied and appreciated in the Persian literary tradition.
During the 16th century, a female scholar and writer named Emiah bint Muhammad al-Hashimi gained recognition in the Ottoman Empire for her extensive knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and theology. She authored several books and was highly respected in scholarly circles.
In the 19th century, Emiah al-Qahtani was a prominent leader and reformer from the Arabian Peninsula. He advocated for social and educational reforms in his region and played a crucial role in the modernization of education systems in the Gulf region.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Emiah throughout history. The name has maintained a strong presence in various cultures and regions, particularly in the Middle East and parts of North Africa, where it continues to be used to this day.
People
Emiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emiah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Emiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 220 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emiah 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 1,557,974 US residents.
Is Emiah a common name?
We classify Emiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 222 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Emiah was 2014, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emiah is about 14 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 Emiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Emiah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emiah 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 Emiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Emiah 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 Emiah 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 share the name Emiah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.