Jalayiah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "water of life".
Name Census estimates that about 149 living Americans carry the first name Jalayiah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jalayiah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jalayiah births was 2019 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jalayiah. 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
149
~ 1 in 2,300,365 Americans
Peak year
2019
12 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,144
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Jalayiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jalayiah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 80 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jalayiah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jalayiah 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 Jalayiah 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 Jalayiah
The name Jalayiah is a relatively modern invention, originating in the late 20th century. It does not have a clear linguistic or cultural origin, but appears to be a combination of existing name elements from various languages and cultures.
One possible origin is that Jalayiah is a feminine variation of the Arabic name Jalal, which means "glory" or "majesty." The suffix "-iah" is commonly used in Arabic names to feminize them. However, there is no evidence of Jalayiah being used as a traditional Arabic name.
Another theory suggests that Jalayiah is derived from the Sanskrit word "jala," meaning "water" or "stream." The ending "-yiah" could be a variation of the common Sanskrit name suffix "-ya." This would give Jalayiah a potential meaning of "water-like" or "stream-like."
It is also possible that Jalayiah is a completely invented name, created by combining appealing sounds and elements from various languages without a specific linguistic origin or meaning.
There are no known historical references to the name Jalayiah in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. The earliest recorded examples of the name appear to be in the late 20th century, likely influenced by the trend of creating unique and distinctive names during that time period.
While there are no famous historical figures with the name Jalayiah, here are five individuals who have been recorded with this name in recent times:
1. Jalayiah Smith, an American social media influencer and model.
2. Jalayiah Johnson, an American high school basketball player from Texas.
3. Jalayiah Williams, an American student and activist from California.
4. Jalayiah Thompson, an American singer and songwriter from Georgia.
5. Jalayiah Brown, an American gymnast and competitive athlete from Ohio.
It is worth noting that due to the modern origin of the name, there may be limited historical records or notable figures associated with it. Jalayiah appears to be a relatively new and unique name that has gained popularity in recent decades.
People
Jalayiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jalayiah 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
Jalayiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jalayiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 149 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jalayiah 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 2,300,365 US residents.
Is Jalayiah a common name?
We classify Jalayiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 150 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jalayiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Jalayiah was 2019, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jalayiah is about 11 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 Jalayiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jalayiah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jalayiah 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 Jalayiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jalayiah 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 Jalayiah 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 named Jalayiah?
See how many Americans are named Jalayiah on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.