Moriah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "bitterness" or "uplifted".
Name Census estimates that about 12,947 living Americans carry the first name Moriah. It is a predominantly female name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Moriah today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Moriah births was 1992 (517 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Moriah. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Moriah is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 108 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
13K
~ 1 in 26,474 Americans
Peak year
1992
517 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2019 SSA rank
#1,212
Tracked since 1968
Gender
Gender distribution for Moriah
Out of the 13,281 babies given the name Moriah since 1880, 99.2% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Moriah as a male name
- Ranked #9,459 in 2019
- 8 male births in 2019
- Peak: 2009 (20 births)
Moriah as a female name
- Ranked #1,212 in 2024
- 195 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1992 (517 births)
Popularity
Moriah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Moriah from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 4,627 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
Moriah 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 Moriah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Moriahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 47 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Moriah, while Vermont, Alaska, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 223 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Moriah
The name Moriah has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew words "mora" (meaning "fear" or "reverence") and "Yahweh" (the Hebrew name for God). The name is associated with Mount Moriah, a significant location in the Bible where Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac.
In the Book of Genesis, Mount Moriah is mentioned as the place where Abraham built an altar to sacrifice Isaac as a test of his faith in God. However, an angel of the Lord intervened, and Abraham was instructed to sacrifice a ram caught in a thicket instead. This event holds immense significance in the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moriah is found in the Bible itself, specifically in the Book of Genesis. Although the name is not used as a personal name in the Bible, it is associated with the sacred mountain where Abraham's sacrifice took place.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Moriah. One of the earliest examples is Moriah Moore (1766-1826), an American schoolteacher and author who wrote educational books for children. Another notable figure is Moriah Woodeson (1817-1894), an English-born Australian poet and writer known for her works on colonial life in Australia.
In more recent times, Moriah Peters (born 1992) is an American contemporary Christian music artist and songwriter. Moriah Plath (born 2001) is an American reality television personality who appeared on the TLC show "Welcome to Plathville."
Another person of note is Moriah Wilson (born 1987), an American actress and singer known for her roles in various television shows and films. Additionally, Moriah Cary (1716-1776) was an American Revolutionary War patriot and officer who fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
While the name Moriah has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture, it has been adopted and used by individuals from various backgrounds and nationalities throughout history, reflecting its enduring significance and appeal.
People
Moriah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Moriah 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
Moriah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Moriah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12,947 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Moriah 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 26,474 US residents.
Is Moriah a common name?
We classify Moriah as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13,281 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Moriah most popular?
The single biggest year for Moriah was 1992, when 517 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Moriah is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Moriah a female name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Moriah 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.