Jamilla
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "beautiful" or "perfect".
Name Census estimates that about 1,125 living Americans carry the first name Jamilla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jamilla today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamilla births was 1988 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamilla. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 304,671 Americans
Peak year
1988
42 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,498
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Jamilla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamilla from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 318 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jamilla 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 Jamilla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jamillas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Pennsylvania, New York, California recorded the most babies named Jamilla, while Texas, Illinois, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jamilla
The name Jamilla has its origins in the Arabic language. It is a feminine name that is derived from the word "jamil," which means "beautiful" or "lovely." The name can be traced back to the 7th century, during the time of the rise of Islam in the Middle East and North Africa.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Jamilla can be found in various Arabic texts and historical records from the medieval period. One notable mention is in the famous collection of stories known as "The Book of One Thousand and One Nights," where Jamilla is the name of a character who is described as a beautiful and virtuous woman.
Throughout history, there have been several notable women who bore the name Jamilla. One of the earliest examples is Jamilla al-Badri (995-1094), a renowned Arab poet and scholar from Córdoba, Spain. She was known for her mastery of Arabic literature and her contributions to the intellectual and cultural life of the city during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization in Spain.
Another notable figure was Jamilla Boudou (1858-1949), a Moroccan resistance fighter who played a crucial role in the Rif War against Spanish and French colonial forces in the early 20th century. She was a symbol of resistance and resilience for the Riffian people and is remembered as a national heroine in Morocco.
In more recent times, Jamilla Mustafa (1952-2009) was a prominent Sudanese women's rights activist and politician. She served as the Minister of Human Resources Development in Sudan and was a vocal advocate for women's empowerment and gender equality in her country.
Jamilla Rizvi (born 1981) is an Australian author, journalist, and commentator. She has written several books on feminism and gender issues, including "Not Just Lucky," which explores the barriers and challenges faced by women in the workplace.
Jamilla Obayashi (born 1971) is a Japanese actress and television personality. She has appeared in numerous films, television shows, and stage productions in Japan and has gained recognition for her versatile acting skills.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Jamilla throughout history, representing various cultures, professions, and eras. The name's enduring popularity can be attributed to its beautiful meaning and its rich cultural heritage rooted in the Arabic language.
People
Jamilla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamilla 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
Jamilla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamilla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,125 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamilla 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 304,671 US residents.
Is Jamilla a common name?
We classify Jamilla as "Rare". It ranks above 90.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,175 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamilla most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamilla was 1988, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamilla is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jamilla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jamilla 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.