Reyah
A Hebrew name meaning "friend".
Name Census estimates that about 283 living Americans carry the first name Reyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Reyah today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Reyah births was 2022 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Reyah. 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
283
~ 1 in 1,211,146 Americans
Peak year
2022
37 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,094
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Reyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Reyah 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 127 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Reyah 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 Reyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Reyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Reyah, while Pennsylvania, New York, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Reyah
The name Reyah is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with roots dating back to the 7th century AD. It is a feminine name that may have been derived from the Arabic word "raya," meaning "banner" or "flag." This connection suggests that the name could have been associated with concepts of leadership, authority, or victory.
In the early days of Islam, the name Reyah was sometimes used to honor newborn daughters, particularly among families with a strong military or tribal background. It was a name that carried connotations of strength, courage, and the ability to rally others under a unified cause or belief.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Reyah can be found in ancient Islamic texts and historical records from the 8th century AD. These documents mention a woman named Reyah bint Abi Bakr, who was a renowned scholar and hadith narrator during the Abbasid Caliphate.
Throughout history, several notable women have carried the name Reyah. One such figure was Reyah al-Muqaddasi (born around 945 AD), a renowned Arab geographer and traveler from Jerusalem. Her writings and observations of the regions she visited provided valuable insights into the culture and geography of the medieval Islamic world.
Another remarkable woman with the name Reyah was Reyah al-Andalusiyah (1030-1107), a celebrated poet and literary figure from Andalusia, Spain. Her poetic works were widely admired and celebrated during the Golden Age of Islamic culture in Andalusia.
In the 12th century, Reyah bint al-Hasan al-Khazraji (1120-1196) was a prominent Muslim jurist and scholar from Damascus. She was renowned for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her contributions to the study of Sharia law.
Moving forward in time, Reyah al-Tahtawi (1801-1873) was an Egyptian writer, scholar, and reformer who played a significant role in the Egyptian Renaissance and the introduction of modern secular education in Egypt. Her writings and efforts to promote education and social reforms left a lasting impact on Egyptian society.
While the name Reyah may not be as common in contemporary times, its historical significance and associations with scholarship, leadership, and cultural achievements make it a name with a rich legacy, deeply rooted in the Arabic and Islamic traditions.
People
Reyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Reyah 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
Reyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Reyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 283 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Reyah 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 1,211,146 US residents.
Is Reyah a common name?
We classify Reyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 285 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Reyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Reyah was 2022, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Reyah is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Reyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Reyah 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.