Ramah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "exalted" or "lofty."
Name Census estimates that about 121 living Americans carry the first name Ramah. It is a predominantly female name (93.5% of registrations). The average person named Ramah today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ramah births was 1926 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ramah. 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
121
~ 1 in 2,832,680 Americans
Peak year
1926
12 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2022 SSA rank
#8,812
Tracked since 1911
Gender
Gender distribution for Ramah
Ramah leans heavily female at 93.5% of total registrations, but 18 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ramah as a male name
- Ranked #10,600 in 2022
- 7 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2022 (7 births)
Ramah as a female name
- Ranked #8,812 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1926 (12 births)
Popularity
Ramah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ramah from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 67 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Ramah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ramah 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 Ramah 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 Ramah
The name Ramah has its origins in Hebrew and Arabic, tracing back to ancient times. In Hebrew, the word "ramah" means "high place" or "elevated area," often referring to a sacred site or a place of worship. It is derived from the root "ram," which means "to be high" or "to lift up."
One of the earliest mentions of the name Ramah can be found in the Hebrew Bible, where it refers to a town located in the territory of Benjamin. The book of Judges mentions Ramah as the birthplace of the prophet Samuel, and it is also mentioned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah as a place where the Israelites gathered after the Babylonian exile.
In the Islamic tradition, the name Ramah is often associated with the concept of mercy and compassion. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic root "rahima," which means "to have mercy" or "to show compassion." This connection may have influenced the popularity of the name among Arabic-speaking communities.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ramah. One of the earliest recorded examples is Ramah ibn Zanbah, a 7th-century Arab military leader who played a significant role in the Muslim conquests of the Sasanian Empire. Another prominent figure was Ramah al-Mutanabbi, a 10th-century Arab poet widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Arabic language.
In the religious sphere, Ramah ibn Shaddad was a 13th-century Islamic scholar and jurist from Syria, known for his contributions to the study of Islamic jurisprudence. The name Ramah also appears in biblical accounts, including Ramah, the daughter of Ishmael and the wife of Esau, as mentioned in the book of Genesis.
In more recent times, notable individuals with the name Ramah include Ramah Navine, an Indian classical vocalist and Padma Shri recipient, and Ramah Krishnan, an American author and educator known for her work on diversity and inclusion.
It is important to note that while the name Ramah has been used across various cultures and time periods, its exact meaning and significance may vary depending on the context and cultural traditions in which it is used.
People
Ramah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ramah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ramah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ramah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 121 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ramah 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 2,832,680 US residents.
Is Ramah a common name?
We classify Ramah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 278 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ramah most popular?
The single biggest year for Ramah was 1926, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ramah is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ramah a female name?
Yes, 93.5% of people registered as Ramah 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.