Moriyah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved of God".
Name Census estimates that about 359 living Americans carry the first name Moriyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Moriyah today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Moriyah births was 2013 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Moriyah. 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
359
~ 1 in 954,747 Americans
Peak year
2013
30 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,458
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Moriyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Moriyah 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 185 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Moriyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Moriyah 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 Moriyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Moriyahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Moriyah
The name Moriyah is a Hebrew name with a rich historical significance. It is derived from the ancient Hebrew word "Moriah," which refers to a mountain range in Jerusalem where, according to the Bible, Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. The name Moriah is mentioned in the book of Genesis, one of the most important texts in the Hebrew Bible.
The earliest recorded use of the name Moriyah dates back to the biblical era, and it has been used throughout Jewish history. One notable bearer of the name was Moriyah bat Avraham, a 12th-century Jewish scholar and poet from Spain. She is considered one of the first known female authors in the Jewish tradition.
Another historical figure with the name Moriyah was Moriyah ben Aharon, a 16th-century rabbi and kabbalist from Safed, a city in present-day Israel. He was known for his contributions to the study of Jewish mysticism and is remembered for his writings on the Zohar, a central text of Kabbalah.
In the 17th century, Moriyah Luria was a prominent rabbi and scholar in Poland. He was a member of the influential Luria family and is remembered for his teachings on Jewish law and ethics.
Moving forward in time, Moriyah Shapiro was a 19th-century American author and educator. She was born in 1858 and is known for her work in promoting Jewish education and literature.
More recently, Moriyah Zylberberg was a 20th-century Israeli artist and painter. She was born in 1903 and is recognized for her contributions to the development of modern Israeli art.
While the name Moriyah has its roots in the Hebrew language and Jewish tradition, it has transcended cultural boundaries and has been adopted by people of various backgrounds over the centuries. The name's rich history and connection to biblical and religious texts have contributed to its enduring appeal and significance.
People
Moriyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Moriyah 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
Moriyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Moriyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 359 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Moriyah 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 954,747 US residents.
Is Moriyah a common name?
We classify Moriyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 362 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Moriyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Moriyah was 2013, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Moriyah is about 12 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 Moriyah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Moriyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Moriyah 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 Moriyah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Moriyah 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 Moriyah 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 common is the name Moriyah?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Moriyah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.