Meliyah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "having beautiful looks".
Name Census estimates that about 487 living Americans carry the first name Meliyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Meliyah today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Meliyah births was 2009 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Meliyah. 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
487
~ 1 in 703,808 Americans
Peak year
2009
35 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,812
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Meliyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Meliyah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 231 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Meliyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Meliyah 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 Meliyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Meliyahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Meliyah
The name Meliyah is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. Its etymology can be linked to the Arabic word "malika," which translates to "queen" or "sovereign," suggesting a regal and noble connotation.
During the golden age of Islamic civilization, which spanned from the 8th to the 13th centuries, names with similar spellings and meanings were prevalent. The name Meliyah, or variations of it, were often bestowed upon females born into prominent families or those with a strong connection to the ruling class.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of the renowned Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun, who lived from 1332 to 1406. In his historical accounts, he mentioned a woman named Meliyah, the daughter of a high-ranking official during the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the name Meliyah. One such figure was Meliyah al-Andalusi, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in Andalusia (modern-day Spain) during the 11th century. Her works, which celebrated the beauty of nature and the intricacies of the Arabic language, are still studied and admired by scholars today.
Another prominent figure was Meliyah bint al-Muqtadir, who lived in the 10th century and was the daughter of the Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir. She was known for her intelligence and her patronage of the arts, supporting numerous poets and artists during her lifetime.
In the realm of literature, the name Meliyah also found its way into the works of the celebrated Persian poet Rumi, who lived from 1207 to 1273. In his poetic verses, he often used the name as a metaphor for divine beauty and grace.
During the Ottoman Empire, which spanned from the 14th to the 20th centuries, the name Meliyah continued to be used among the nobility and upper classes. One noteworthy figure was Meliyah Sultan, who lived in the 16th century and was the daughter of Sultan Selim II. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and her support of educational institutions.
People
Meliyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Meliyah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Meliyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Meliyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 487 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Meliyah 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 703,808 US residents.
Is Meliyah a common name?
We classify Meliyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 492 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Meliyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Meliyah was 2009, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Meliyah is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Meliyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Meliyah 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.