NameCensus.
Rare

Inayah

An Arabic feminine name derived from the phrase "an'amahu Allah", meaning "one favored by God".

Name Census estimates that about 1,070 living Americans carry the first name Inayah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Inayah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Inayah births was 2024 (126 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Inayah. 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

  • Inayah is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.

People living today

1.1K

~ 1 in 320,331 Americans

Peak year

2024

126 babies that year

Average age

11

years old

2024 SSA rank

#1,634

Tracked since 1992

Popularity

Inayah: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Inayah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 446 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.

Babies born per year

0326395126199520002005201020152020

Decades

Inayah 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 Inayah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1990s08383
2000s0177177
2010s0374374
2020s0446446

Geography

Where Inayahs live

The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. New York, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Inayah, while Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Inayah

The name Inayah is an Arabic name derived from the root word "nawa," meaning "to intend" or "to have a purpose." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the early Islamic period, around the 7th century AD.

The name Inayah is closely associated with the concept of divine guidance, protection, and care in Islamic tradition. It is often interpreted as "God's care," "divine favor," or "divine guidance." The name holds significant spiritual and religious connotations within the Islamic faith.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Inayah can be found in historical Islamic texts and literary works from the medieval period. It was a popular name among Muslim scholars, poets, and religious figures during that time.

In the 10th century, Inayah al-Asadi was a renowned Arabic poet and literary figure who was highly celebrated for her contributions to the literary arts. Her poetry often explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human experience.

Another notable figure with the name Inayah was Inayah al-Baghdadi, a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who lived in the 11th century. He was known for his contributions to Islamic jurisprudence and his extensive knowledge of the Quran and Hadith.

In the 13th century, Inayah al-Dimashqi was a prominent Syrian scholar and historian who authored several works on Islamic history, geography, and literature. His writings provided valuable insights into the cultural and intellectual life of the medieval Islamic world.

During the Ottoman Empire, the name Inayah was often bestowed upon princesses and noblewomen, reflecting its association with grace, nobility, and divine favor. One such figure was Inayah Sultan, the daughter of Sultan Murad III, who lived in the 16th century.

Throughout history, the name Inayah has been carried by various influential figures, scholars, poets, and religious leaders within the Islamic world, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural and spiritual significance.

People

Inayah + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Inayah 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

Inayah: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Inayah?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,070 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Inayah 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 320,331 US residents.

Is Inayah a common name?

We classify Inayah as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,080 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Inayah most popular?

The single biggest year for Inayah was 2024, when 126 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Inayah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Inayah a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Inayah 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.

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