Iah
A feminine name derived from the Hebrew word "Yahweh" meaning "Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Iah. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 66.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Iah today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Iah births was 2011 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Iah. 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 Iah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2011
5 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,062
Tracked since 2011
Gender
Gender distribution for Iah
Iah is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 15 total registrations, 5 (33.3%) were male and 10 (66.7%) were female.
Iah as a male name
- Ranked #13,062 in 2022
- 5 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2022 (5 births)
Iah as a female name
- Ranked #16,449 in 2019
- 5 female births in 2019
- Peak: 2011 (5 births)
Popularity
Iah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Iah from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Iah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Iah 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 Iah 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 Iah
The name Iah is a Hebrew name derived from the name of the Hebrew God, Yahweh. The name Yahweh is thought to have originated from the Hebrew verb "hayah," meaning "to be" or "to exist." The name Iah is a shortened form of Yahweh, and it first appeared in religious scriptures and texts dating back to ancient times.
One of the earliest references to the name Iah can be found in the Bible, specifically in the book of Exodus. In Exodus 15:2, the name is mentioned as part of a song of praise to God: "The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him." This verse is believed to be one of the oldest recorded instances of the name Iah in religious literature.
Throughout history, the name Iah has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest known figures with this name was Iah, a Hebrew prophet who lived around the 8th century BCE. Another prominent figure was Iah ben Ahijah, a Hebrew scribe and priest who lived during the reign of King Solomon in the 10th century BCE.
In more recent times, the name Iah has been less common, but it has been used by a few individuals. One notable figure was Iah Parker, an American abolitionist and suffragist who lived in the 19th century (1805-1879). Another was Iah al-Naqib, an Iraqi Muslim scholar and politician who lived in the 20th century (1905-1985).
Additionally, the name Iah has been used by some religious groups and movements, particularly those with ties to Hebrew or Judaic traditions. For example, the Rastafarian movement, which emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s, often uses the name Iah as a reference to the Judeo-Christian God.
While the name Iah is not as widely used today as it once was, it remains a significant name with deep historical and religious roots, particularly in the Hebrew and Judaic traditions. Its connection to the name of God and its appearance in ancient religious texts have made it a name with profound meaning and significance throughout history.
People
Iah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Iah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Iah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Iah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Iah 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Iah a common name?
We classify Iah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% 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 Iah most popular?
The single biggest year for Iah was 2011, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Iah is about 9 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 Iah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Iah a female name?
Yes, 66.7% of people registered as Iah 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 Iah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Iah 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 Iah 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 have Iah as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.