NameCensus.
Very Rare

Niylah

A feminine name of unclear origin, potentially meaning "victorious".

Name Census estimates that about 671 living Americans carry the first name Niylah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Niylah today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Niylah births was 2021 (60 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Niylah. 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

671

~ 1 in 510,811 Americans

Peak year

2021

60 babies that year

Average age

10

years old

2024 SSA rank

#4,166

Tracked since 2004

Popularity

Niylah: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Niylah 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 394 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Niylah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.

Babies born per year

0153045602005201020152020

Decades

Niylah 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 Niylah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s06666
2010s0394394
2020s0216216

Geography

Where Niylahs live

The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Niylah, while Tennessee, North Carolina, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Niylah

The name Niylah is believed to have its origins in Arabic, where it is derived from the word "nilah," meaning "indigo" or "deep blue." This name is thought to have emerged during the medieval period in the Middle East and North Africa, where the Arabic language and Islamic culture were prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Niylah can be found in the writings of the renowned 12th-century Persian poet and scholar, Nizami Ganjavi. In his epic poem, the Khamsah, he makes reference to a character named Niylah, suggesting that the name was in use during that time.

Another historical figure bearing the name Niylah was a 14th-century Sufi mystic from modern-day Iran. Known as Niylah al-Baghdadi, she was renowned for her spiritual teachings and was a prominent figure in the Sufi tradition of that era.

In the 16th century, a notable poet and calligrapher from the Ottoman Empire, Niylah Mehmed, gained recognition for his works. His intricate calligraphic pieces were highly regarded and are still celebrated in the realm of Islamic art.

During the 19th century, Niylah al-Zahawi, an Iraqi poet and scholar, made significant contributions to Arabic literature. Her works often explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human experience, earning her a place among the notable literary figures of her time.

In more recent history, Niylah Khayr, a Syrian artist and activist born in 1925, gained recognition for her vibrant paintings and advocacy for women's rights. Her artistic works often depicted scenes from daily life in the Middle East and aimed to challenge societal norms.

It is worth noting that while the name Niylah has its roots in Arabic and Islamic culture, it has since gained popularity and usage across various regions and communities around the world, transcending its traditional cultural boundaries.

People

Niylah + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Niylah 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

Niylah: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Niylah?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 671 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Niylah 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 510,811 US residents.

Is Niylah a common name?

We classify Niylah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 676 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Niylah most popular?

The single biggest year for Niylah was 2021, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Niylah is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Niylah a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Niylah 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.

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.

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