Namiah
A modern invented name combining elements from various languages meaning "my beloved".
Name Census estimates that about 187 living Americans carry the first name Namiah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Namiah today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Namiah births was 2012 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Namiah. 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
187
~ 1 in 1,832,911 Americans
Peak year
2012
20 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,705
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Namiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Namiah 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 99 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Namiah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Namiah 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 Namiah 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 Namiah
The name Namiah has its roots in the ancient Semitic languages, specifically in the Aramaic dialect spoken in parts of the Middle East during the first millennium BC. It is derived from the Aramaic word "namya," which means "pleasant" or "delightful." The name was likely in use among various Semitic-speaking communities in the region, including the Arameans, Phoenicians, and early Hebrews.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Namiah can be found in the Babylonian Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism compiled between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD. In this ancient text, Namiah is mentioned as the name of a wise and respected scholar who lived during the early centuries of the common era.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Namiah gained popularity among Jewish communities across the Mediterranean region and parts of Europe. Notable historical figures bearing this name include Namiah ben Paltiel, a prominent Jewish philosopher and commentator from the 11th century who lived in southern Italy.
As the name spread westward, it underwent slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. In the 14th century, a French noblewoman named Namiah de Montfort was recorded as a patron of the arts and a supporter of several monasteries in the region.
During the Renaissance period, the name Namiah was associated with the humanist movement and the revival of interest in classical literature and philosophy. One notable figure from this era was Namiah Ficino, an Italian scholar and translator who played a crucial role in the rediscovery and dissemination of Platonic thought in the 15th century.
As trade and exploration expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Namiah also found its way to other parts of the world. In the 17th century, there are records of a Namiah Ibn al-Qadi, a prominent merchant and explorer from the Arabian Peninsula who traveled extensively and documented his journeys in a series of travelogues.
While the name Namiah has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has continued to be used across various cultures and regions, reflecting its ancient origins and the diverse paths it has traveled over the centuries.
People
Namiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Namiah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Namiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Namiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 187 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Namiah 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 1,832,911 US residents.
Is Namiah a common name?
We classify Namiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 189 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Namiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Namiah was 2012, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Namiah is about 13 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 Namiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Namiah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Namiah 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 Namiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Namiah 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 Namiah 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 Namiah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.