Jalaiah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "loftiness" or "glory".
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the first name Jalaiah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jalaiah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jalaiah births was 2022 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jalaiah. 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
127
~ 1 in 2,698,853 Americans
Peak year
2022
19 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,581
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Jalaiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jalaiah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 68 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
Decades
Jalaiah 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 Jalaiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jalaiahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jalaiah
The name Jalaiah has its roots in the Semitic languages and can be traced back to ancient times in the Middle East. The name is derived from the Arabic word "jalal," which means "glory" or "majesty," and is often associated with divine or regal qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jalaiah can be found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. The name is mentioned in reference to a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, but few details are provided about this individual.
In the 11th century, a prominent scholar and theologian named Jalaiah ibn Yahya al-Kinani lived in the city of Baghdad, which was then the intellectual center of the Islamic world. He wrote extensively on Islamic jurisprudence and is considered one of the most influential Shafi'i scholars of his time.
During the 13th century, a powerful Kurdish ruler named Jalaiah ad-Din Khwarazmshah governed over parts of modern-day Iran and Afghanistan. He was known for his military prowess and for successfully defending his territories against Mongol invasions.
In the 16th century, a renowned Ottoman calligrapher named Jalaiah al-Siyah gained fame for his mastery of the Arabic script. His works were highly prized and he was often commissioned by the Ottoman court to create intricate calligraphic pieces.
Another notable figure with the name Jalaiah was Jalaiah ibn Muhammad al-Hasani, a 17th-century Moroccan scholar and Sufi mystic. He was known for his spiritual teachings and his contributions to the study of Islamic mysticism.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Jalaiah, which has been associated with scholarship, leadership, and artistic excellence in various cultures and time periods influenced by the Arabic language and Islamic traditions.
People
Jalaiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jalaiah 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
Jalaiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jalaiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 127 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jalaiah 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 2,698,853 US residents.
Is Jalaiah a common name?
We classify Jalaiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 128 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jalaiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Jalaiah was 2022, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jalaiah is about 8 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 Jalaiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jalaiah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jalaiah 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 Jalaiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jalaiah 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 Jalaiah 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 are called Jalaiah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.