Jamaya
A feminine name of unknown origin, potentially a blend of names.
Name Census estimates that about 2,255 living Americans carry the first name Jamaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jamaya today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamaya births was 2006 (182 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamaya. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Jamaya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.3K
~ 1 in 151,997 Americans
Peak year
2006
182 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,009
Tracked since 1983
Census
Jamaya in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,836 people with the first name Jamaya, which placed it at #8,020 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,020
National first-name rank
People counted
1.8K
1,836 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
92.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jamaya
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamaya is Black at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jamaya described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jamaya at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.9% · 1,706
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 57
- Two or more races2.7% · 49
- White0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
Popularity
Jamaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamaya from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,283 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
Jamaya 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 Jamaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jamayas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. Georgia, Alabama, Florida recorded the most babies named Jamaya, while Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 70 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jamaya
The name Jamaya is believed to have its origins in the indigenous Taíno language, which was spoken by the native people of the Caribbean region, particularly in the islands of Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, and parts of Cuba. The Taíno language was heavily influenced by the Arawak language family, and it is likely that Jamaya has roots in these ancient linguistic traditions.
While the exact etymology of the name Jamaya is uncertain, some scholars suggest that it may be derived from the Taíno word "jamao," which means "water" or "river." This association with water could signify a connection to the natural world and the life-giving properties of water in the Taíno culture.
The name Jamaya does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, but its probable Taíno origin suggests that it was likely used by the indigenous people of the Caribbean region before the arrival of European colonizers in the late 15th century.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jamaya can be found in the historical records of Puerto Rico, where a woman named Jamaya was recorded as a member of the Taíno community in the early 16th century. Unfortunately, few details about her life have been preserved.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jamaya, including:
1. Jamaya Menezes (born 1985), an Indian model and actress known for her work in Bollywood films and television shows.
2. Jamaya Moore (born 1993), an American professional basketball player who has played in the WNBA and overseas.
3. Jamaya Walker (born 1983), an American track and field athlete who competed in the triple jump and long jump events.
4. Jamaya Jackmon (born 1992), an American singer and songwriter who has released several independent albums and appeared on various talent competitions.
5. Jamaya Singleton (born 1989), an American entrepreneur and author who has written books on personal development and self-empowerment.
While the name Jamaya may have its roots in the ancient Taíno culture, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world, transcending its original cultural context and becoming a unique and meaningful name for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
People
Jamaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamaya 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
Jamaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,255 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamaya 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 151,997 US residents.
Is Jamaya a common name?
We classify Jamaya as "Rare". It ranks above 94.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,287 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamaya was 2006, when 182 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamaya is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jamaya in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,836 people with the name Jamaya, or 0.61 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,020 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jamaya in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jamaya?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jamaya leans strongly female. 1,807 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 39 male bearers (2.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jamaya?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamaya is Black at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jamaya most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jamaya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (1,706 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Jamaya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jamaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jamaya 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 Jamaya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jamaya 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 Jamaya 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.
How many people share the name Jamaya?
Find out how many people share the name Jamaya on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.