Niyaz
A masculine Arabic name meaning desire, wish or intention.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Niyaz. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Niyaz today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Niyaz births was 2006 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Niyaz. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Niyaz with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Niyaz. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2006
6 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#11,645
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Niyaz: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Niyaz 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 Niyaz 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 Niyaz
The name Niyaz has its origins in the Persian and Arabic languages. It is derived from the Arabic root word "niyaz," which means "desire" or "wish." The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 7th to 13th centuries, when it was commonly used in Persian and Arabic-speaking regions of the Middle East and Central Asia.
Niyaz was a popular name among Muslims, and it is mentioned in several Islamic texts and historical records. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the works of the renowned Persian poet Rumi, who lived in the 13th century. Rumi often used the name Niyaz in his poetry as a metaphor for spiritual longing and devotion.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Niyaz. One of the most famous was Niyaz al-Din Nishapuri (1201-1289), a Persian Sufi mystic and poet who played a significant role in the spread of Sufism in the region. Another notable Niyaz was Niyaz Quli Afshar (1688-1759), a Persian military leader and ruler who served as the Nader Shah of Iran.
In the Indian subcontinent, the name Niyaz was also prevalent, particularly among Muslims. One of the most renowned figures with this name was Niyaz Fatehpuri (1884-1966), an Indian Muslim scholar and leader who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement and the formation of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind organization.
Another notable individual with the name Niyaz was Niyaz Qayum (1912-1975), an Afghan writer and poet who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern Afghan literature. His works, which often explored themes of love, spirituality, and social commentary, have had a lasting impact on Afghan culture.
Niyaz has also been used as a name in other parts of the world, though its origins can be traced back to the Persian and Arabic cultures. For instance, Niyaz Ahmed (1836-1912) was a prominent Indian Muslim reformer and educator who played a significant role in the establishment of the Aligarh Muslim University in India.
People
Niyaz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Niyaz 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
Niyaz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Niyaz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Niyaz 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 Niyaz a common name?
We classify Niyaz 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 Niyaz most popular?
The single biggest year for Niyaz was 2006, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Niyaz is about 20 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 Niyaz in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Niyaz a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Niyaz 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 Niyaz still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Niyaz 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 Niyaz 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 Niyaz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Niyaz at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.