Lanijah
An African-American feminine name, a variant of the biblical name Elijah.
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the first name Lanijah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lanijah today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lanijah births was 2010 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lanijah. 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
122
~ 1 in 2,809,462 Americans
Peak year
2010
16 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2013 SSA rank
#18,093
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Lanijah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lanijah from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 95 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Lanijah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lanijah 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 Lanijah 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 Lanijah
The name Lanijah is a relatively modern invention that appears to have first emerged in the late 20th century. Its origins are uncertain, but it is commonly believed to be a combination of the popular name Laney and the suffix "-jah," which is derived from the Hebrew name Yahweh, meaning "God."
While the name Lanijah itself does not have a long history, the elements that make up its construction can be traced back to various linguistic and cultural roots. The name Laney is a diminutive form of the English name Lana, which is derived from the Latin word "lana," meaning "wool." This name was particularly popular in the United States during the mid-20th century.
The suffix "-jah" has its origins in the Hebrew language and is often associated with religious or spiritual connotations. It is found in several biblical names, such as Elijah and Jeremiah. The combination of these elements, Laney and "-jah," creates a unique and modern name that carries a sense of femininity and spirituality.
While there are no recorded instances of historical figures bearing the name Lanijah, it has gained popularity in recent decades. One of the earliest recorded examples is Lanijah Carroll, an American actress born in 1989, known for her roles in films such as "The Princess and the Frog" and "Madea's Big Happy Family."
Another notable individual with this name is Lanijah Jackson, a former basketball player who competed for the University of Arkansas from 2013 to 2017. She was a standout player and helped lead her team to multiple NCAA tournament appearances.
Lanijah Rolle is an American singer and songwriter born in 1996. She gained recognition for her participation in the reality TV show "The X Factor" in 2012 and has since released several successful singles and an EP.
Lanijah Franklin, born in 1994, is an American track and field athlete who specializes in sprinting events. She represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and has won multiple medals at various international competitions.
Lanijah Lockett is a American professional basketball player born in 1995. She played college basketball at the University of South Carolina and was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2018 WNBA draft.
While the name Lanijah is relatively new and its origins are somewhat ambiguous, it has gained popularity in recent decades and is associated with a sense of uniqueness, femininity, and spiritual connections. The individuals mentioned above have contributed to the recognition and prominence of this modern name.
People
Lanijah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lanijah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lanijah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lanijah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 122 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lanijah 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 2,809,462 US residents.
Is Lanijah a common name?
We classify Lanijah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 124 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lanijah most popular?
The single biggest year for Lanijah was 2010, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lanijah is about 20 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 Lanijah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lanijah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lanijah 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 Lanijah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lanijah 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 Lanijah 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 Lanijah?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Lanijah at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.