Namiyah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "growth" or "plant".
Name Census estimates that about 207 living Americans carry the first name Namiyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Namiyah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Namiyah births was 2009 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Namiyah. 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
207
~ 1 in 1,655,818 Americans
Peak year
2009
21 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,346
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Namiyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Namiyah 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 116 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Namiyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Namiyah 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 Namiyah 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 Namiyah
The name Namiyah is of Arabic origin and is derived from the root word "nama," which means "to grow" or "to thrive." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries.
The name Namiyah can be traced back to the Arabic language, where it was initially used as a feminine name. It is closely related to other Arabic names such as Nami, Namia, and Namiya, which share the same root word and meaning.
While there are no definitive historical references to the name Namiyah in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that the name was used in various regions of the Middle East during the medieval period, particularly in areas where Arabic culture and language had a significant influence.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Namiyah can be found in the writings of the 12th-century Arab philosopher and physician, Averroes (1126-1198). He mentioned a woman named Namiyah in one of his philosophical treatises, although little is known about her life or significance.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Namiyah. One of the most prominent was Namiyah bint al-Qadi (1156-1223), a renowned poetess and scholar from Andalusia, Spain. She was celebrated for her literary works and contributions to the cultural and intellectual life of the region during the golden age of Islamic civilization.
Another notable figure was Namiyah al-Baghdadi (1190-1258), a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad, Iraq. She made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy and was respected for her expertise and dedication to scholarly pursuits.
In the 14th century, there was Namiyah al-Dimashqi (1320-1389), a Syrian scholar and writer who authored several works on Islamic theology and jurisprudence. Her writings were widely read and influential in the region during her lifetime.
During the 15th century, Namiyah al-Qahirah (1425-1495) was a prominent calligrapher and artist from Cairo, Egypt. Her intricate and beautiful calligraphic works adorned many mosques and manuscripts throughout the region, and she was renowned for her mastery of the art form.
Finally, in the 18th century, Namiyah al-Maqdisi (1710-1782) was a Palestinian scholar and educator who dedicated her life to teaching and promoting education, particularly for women. She established several schools and educational institutions in Jerusalem and surrounding areas, leaving a lasting legacy in the field of education.
People
Namiyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Namiyah 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
Namiyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Namiyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 207 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Namiyah 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 1,655,818 US residents.
Is Namiyah a common name?
We classify Namiyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 209 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Namiyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Namiyah was 2009, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Namiyah is about 11 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 Namiyah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Namiyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Namiyah 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 Namiyah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Namiyah 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 Namiyah 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 Namiyah?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Namiyah at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.