Eniah
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Anaya.
Name Census estimates that about 35 living Americans carry the first name Eniah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Eniah today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eniah births was 2005 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eniah. 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 Eniah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
35
~ 1 in 9,792,981 Americans
Peak year
2005
7 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2011 SSA rank
#17,606
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Eniah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eniah from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 23 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Eniah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eniah 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 Eniah 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 Eniah
The name Eniah is believed to have originated from the Hebrew name Eniyah, which means "God is my answer" or "God has answered me." This name is derived from the Hebrew root word "anah," meaning "to answer" or "to respond."
The name Eniah can be traced back to ancient times and has been found in various religious texts and historical records. In the Old Testament, there are references to individuals with similar names, such as Eniah (1 Chronicles 7:8), whose name is a variation of the same root word.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eniah can be found in the writings of the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, who lived in the first century AD. Philo mentioned a woman named Eniah in his writings, suggesting that the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Eniah. One example is Eniah ben Hoshaiah, a prominent Jewish scholar who lived in the 9th century AD. He is known for his contributions to the field of Jewish law and his commentaries on various religious texts.
Another notable figure was Eniah al-Razi, an Arab mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 9th century AD. He made significant contributions to the development of algebra and wrote several influential works on mathematics and astronomy.
In the 12th century, there was a Jewish philosopher named Eniah ben Joseph, who was known for his philosophical writings and his contributions to the study of Jewish mysticism.
During the Renaissance period, Eniah Moretti was an Italian painter and sculptor who lived in the 15th century. She is renowned for her exquisite works of art, which can be found in various museums and galleries across Italy.
In more recent times, Eniah Brittain was a British writer and activist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was known for her advocacy for women's rights and her efforts to promote education and social reform.
While the name Eniah has been used across different cultures and time periods, its origins can be traced back to the Hebrew language and its meaning reflects a sense of divine providence and answer to prayer.
People
Eniah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eniah 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
Eniah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eniah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 35 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eniah 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 9,792,981 US residents.
Is Eniah a common name?
We classify Eniah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 35 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eniah most popular?
The single biggest year for Eniah was 2005, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eniah is about 19 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 Eniah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eniah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eniah 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 Eniah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eniah 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 Eniah 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 common is the name Eniah?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Eniah at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.