Poleth
An invented name with no clear meaning or etymology.
Name Census estimates that about 28 living Americans carry the first name Poleth. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Poleth today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Poleth births was 2011 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Poleth. 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 Poleth. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
28
~ 1 in 12,241,226 Americans
Peak year
2011
7 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2023 SSA rank
#17,014
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Poleth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Poleth 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 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Poleth remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Poleth 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 Poleth 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 Poleth
The name Poleth is believed to have originated from the ancient Aramaic language, which was widely spoken in the Middle East during the first millennium BC. It is derived from the Aramaic root word "plth," which means "to escape" or "to flee." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were born during times of conflict or migration.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Poleth can be found in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Uruk, where a clay tablet from around 500 BC mentions a man by this name. It is possible that this individual was a refugee or migrant who had fled to Uruk during a period of unrest in the region.
In the centuries that followed, the name Poleth appears to have been relatively uncommon, with few notable historical figures bearing it. However, in the 9th century AD, a prominent scholar and philosopher named Poleth ibn Yahya al-Kindi lived in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate. He was renowned for his contributions to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and optics.
Another notable figure with the name Poleth was Poleth al-Dimashqi, a 12th-century Arab geographer and traveler from Damascus. He is best known for his detailed accounts of his travels through the Middle East and North Africa, which provided valuable insights into the cultures and societies of the time.
In the 14th century, a famous Persian poet named Poleth Gami was born in the city of Gam, which is now part of modern-day Iran. His lyrical works, which often explored themes of love and spirituality, were widely celebrated and influential during the Persian literary renaissance.
During the 16th century, a Jewish scholar and rabbi named Poleth ben Yitzchak Abravanel lived in Portugal and Spain. He was a renowned commentator on the Torah and other sacred texts, and his writings had a significant impact on Jewish thought and philosophy.
It is worth noting that while the name Poleth has its roots in the ancient Aramaic language, its usage and popularity have varied across different regions and time periods. Today, it remains a relatively uncommon name, though it may still be used in certain communities with connections to its historical and cultural origins.
People
Poleth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Poleth as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Poleth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Poleth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 28 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Poleth 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 12,241,226 US residents.
Is Poleth a common name?
We classify Poleth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 45.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 28 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Poleth most popular?
The single biggest year for Poleth was 2011, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Poleth is about 15 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 Poleth in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Poleth a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Poleth 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 Poleth still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Poleth 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 Poleth 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 share the name Poleth?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.