Kemiyah
An Arabic name meaning "alchemy" or "chemistry".
Name Census estimates that about 446 living Americans carry the first name Kemiyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kemiyah today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kemiyah births was 2012 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kemiyah. 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
446
~ 1 in 768,507 Americans
Peak year
2012
39 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,678
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Kemiyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kemiyah 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 260 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kemiyah 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 Kemiyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kemiyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Kemiyah, while South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kemiyah
The name Kemiyah is derived from the Arabic word "kimia," which means "alchemy" or "chemistry." This name has its origins in the ancient Islamic world, where the study of alchemy and chemistry flourished. It is believed that the name Kemiyah first emerged during the golden age of Islamic civilization, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Kemiyah can be found in the writings of the renowned Muslim philosopher and polymath, Jabir ibn Hayyan, who lived in the 8th century. He is often referred to as the "father of chemistry" and wrote extensively on the subject of alchemy and chemistry. It is possible that the name Kemiyah was inspired by his contributions to these fields.
During the medieval period, the name Kemiyah was occasionally used by Muslim scholars and intellectuals who specialized in the study of alchemy and chemistry. However, it was not a widely popular name until more recent times.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Kemiyah was Kemiyah al-Andalusi, a 12th-century Muslim scientist and alchemist from Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain). She is believed to have made significant contributions to the fields of chemistry and alchemy, although many details of her life and work have been lost to history.
Another historical figure with the name Kemiyah was Kemiyah al-Maridini, a 13th-century Syrian alchemist and scholar. He is known for his work on the purification and transmutation of metals, as well as his writings on the philosophical aspects of alchemy.
In the 14th century, there was a Persian alchemist and philosopher named Kemiyah al-Tusi, who lived in the city of Tus (present-day Iran). He wrote several treatises on the principles of alchemy and is considered one of the most influential figures in the field during that era.
Moving forward in time, in the 16th century, there was a Turkish alchemist named Kemiyah al-Rumi, who hailed from the Ottoman Empire. He is remembered for his contributions to the study of metallurgy and his writings on the spiritual aspects of alchemy.
Finally, in the 18th century, there was an Egyptian alchemist and scholar named Kemiyah al-Masri, who lived in Cairo. He wrote several works on the practical applications of alchemy, as well as its philosophical and mystical dimensions.
People
Kemiyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kemiyah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kemiyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kemiyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 446 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kemiyah 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 768,507 US residents.
Is Kemiyah a common name?
We classify Kemiyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 450 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kemiyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Kemiyah was 2012, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kemiyah is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kemiyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kemiyah 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.