Nisiah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin with several interpretations, such as "miracle" or "wondrous sign".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Nisiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nisiah today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nisiah births was 2004 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nisiah. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nisiah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2004
6 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2004 SSA rank
#10,936
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Nisiah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nisiah 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 Nisiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nisiah
The name Nisiah is believed to have originated from the ancient Aramaic language, which was widely spoken in the Middle East during the first millennium BCE. Its roots can be traced back to the Semitic word "neshiah," which means "forgetting" or "forgetfulness."
In ancient times, the name Nisiah was prevalent among the Aramaic-speaking communities of Mesopotamia, Syria, and parts of Persia. It was often given to children as a reminder to embrace life's fleeting moments and cherish the present, rather than dwell on past memories or regrets.
The earliest known reference to the name Nisiah can be found in a collection of Aramaic inscriptions from the 5th century BCE, discovered in the ancient city of Dura-Europos, located in present-day Syria. These inscriptions suggest that the name was in use among the local population during the Persian and Hellenistic periods.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Nisiah was a poet and philosopher who lived in the city of Edessa (modern-day Şanlıurfa, Turkey) during the 2nd century CE. Although little is known about her life, her philosophical writings on the nature of memory and forgetfulness have been preserved in various manuscripts.
In the 6th century CE, a Christian monk named Nisiah of Antioch gained recognition for his ascetic lifestyle and teachings on spiritual detachment. He is believed to have been born in the city of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey) around 530 CE and lived until 610 CE.
During the Islamic Golden Age, a renowned scholar and mathematician named Nisiah al-Khwarizmi made significant contributions to the field of algebra. Born in Khwarizm (modern-day Uzbekistan) around 780 CE, he is credited with introducing the concept of algorithms and developing the algebraic method of solving quadratic equations.
Another notable figure bearing the name Nisiah was a Persian poet and mystic who lived in the 12th century CE. Known as Nisiah al-Din Rumi, she was a contemporary of the famous Sufi poet Rumi and is recognized for her spiritual and devotional poetry.
In the 14th century, a Jewish scholar and physician named Nisiah ben Abraham flourished in the city of Barcelona, Spain. He authored several treatises on medicine and was highly regarded for his expertise in the field of pharmacology.
People
Nisiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nisiah 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
Nisiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nisiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nisiah 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Nisiah a common name?
We classify Nisiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nisiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Nisiah was 2004, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nisiah is about 22 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 Nisiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nisiah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nisiah in the SSA data are male. 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 Nisiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nisiah 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 Nisiah 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 the name Nisiah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.