Nayleah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "succorer" or "helper".
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the first name Nayleah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nayleah today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nayleah births was 2018 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nayleah. 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
148
~ 1 in 2,315,908 Americans
Peak year
2018
29 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,810
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Nayleah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nayleah 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 84 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nayleah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nayleah 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 Nayleah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nayleahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nayleah
The name Nayleah is a relatively modern creation, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It is believed to be a combination of the Hebrew name Nayeli, meaning "my delight" or "my joy," and the Arabic name Leah, which means "weary" or "tired." This unusual blend of languages and meanings lends the name a unique and intriguing quality.
While the exact origins of the name Nayleah are uncertain, it is thought to have emerged in the late 20th century, possibly as a variant of the name Nayeli, which has been in use for centuries. The earliest recorded instances of the name Nayleah are found in birth records from the United States in the 1980s and 1990s, though its popularity remained relatively low until the early 2000s.
Throughout history, there are few notable figures who have borne the name Nayleah, as it is a relatively modern creation. However, some individuals who have carried this name include Nayleah Lewis, an American singer and songwriter born in 1994, and Nayleah Thelwell, a Jamaican artist and illustrator known for her vibrant and whimsical works.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Nayleah was Nayleah Sanchez, a Mexican-American author and journalist born in 1972. Her work has focused on exploring themes of identity, culture, and the immigrant experience. Another notable figure is Nayleah Bey, an American fashion designer and entrepreneur born in 1985, known for her innovative and sustainable clothing line.
While the name Nayleah may be relatively new, it has already gained a foothold in various cultures and communities around the world. From authors and artists to entrepreneurs and musicians, individuals with this unique name have left their mark in various fields, contributing to the rich tapestry of human diversity and creativity.
People
Nayleah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nayleah 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
Nayleah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nayleah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 148 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nayleah 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 2,315,908 US residents.
Is Nayleah a common name?
We classify Nayleah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 149 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nayleah most popular?
The single biggest year for Nayleah was 2018, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nayleah is about 9 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 Nayleah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nayleah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nayleah 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 Nayleah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nayleah 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 Nayleah 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 have Nayleah as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.