Jalah
Of Arabic origin, meaning "majestic, exalted one".
Name Census estimates that about 593 living Americans carry the first name Jalah. It is a predominantly female name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Jalah today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jalah births was 2000 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jalah. 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
593
~ 1 in 578,001 Americans
Peak year
2000
48 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2001 SSA rank
#11,291
Tracked since 1993
Gender
Gender distribution for Jalah
Out of the 602 babies given the name Jalah since 1880, 99.2% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Jalah as a male name
- Ranked #11,291 in 2001
- 5 male births in 2001
- Peak: 2001 (5 births)
Jalah as a female name
- Ranked #12,649 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2000 (48 births)
Popularity
Jalah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jalah 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 339 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
Jalah 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 Jalah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jalahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. North Carolina, Michigan, Texas recorded the most babies named Jalah, while Georgia, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jalah
The name Jalah is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "jalal," which means "glory" or "majesty." The name is particularly popular in the Middle East and among Muslim communities around the world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jalah can be found in the writings of the renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher, Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 CE). In his work, "The Revival of the Religious Sciences," he mentions a person named Jalah who was a contemporary and companion of the Prophet Muhammad.
Another historical figure who bore the name Jalah was a 12th-century Sufi poet and mystic from Persia. Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, also known as Rumi, was born in 1207 CE in present-day Afghanistan. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest spiritual masters and poets in Islamic history.
In the 13th century, there was a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist named Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (1445-1505 CE). He was born in Cairo, Egypt, and is known for his extensive writings on various subjects, including Quranic exegesis, hadith, and Islamic jurisprudence.
A notable figure in more recent history was Jalah al-Din al-Afghani (1838-1897 CE), an Islamic philosopher and political activist who played a significant role in the late 19th-century Islamic revival movement. He was born in Iran but spent much of his life traveling and advocating for Muslim unity and resistance against Western imperialism.
In the realm of literature, there was a renowned Egyptian poet and writer named Jalah Mustafa Bakri (1930-1997 CE). He was known for his contributions to modern Arabic poetry and his exploration of themes related to Arab identity and cultural heritage.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Jalah, which carries a rich cultural and linguistic heritage rooted in the Arabic tradition.
People
Jalah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jalah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jalah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jalah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 593 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jalah 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 578,001 US residents.
Is Jalah a common name?
We classify Jalah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 602 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jalah most popular?
The single biggest year for Jalah was 2000, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jalah is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jalah a female name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Jalah 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.