Rylah
A feminine name likely derived from the Hebrew name Rilla, of uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 418 living Americans carry the first name Rylah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rylah today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rylah births was 2021 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rylah. 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
418
~ 1 in 819,986 Americans
Peak year
2021
50 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,362
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Rylah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rylah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 224 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
Rylah 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 Rylah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rylahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Ohio, California recorded the most babies named Rylah, while California, Ohio, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rylah
The name Rylah is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots traced back to the Middle Eastern region. The name is thought to be a variation of the Arabic name Riyala, which means "garden" or "meadow." It is a feminine name that has been in use for centuries, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 7th century.
In the Islamic tradition, the name Rylah is sometimes associated with the concept of paradise or a heavenly garden, reflecting the beauty and serenity that a garden represents. This connection to nature and tranquility may have contributed to the popularity of the name among Arabic-speaking communities.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Rylah was Rylah bint Abi Hatim al-Ansari, a 7th-century Arab woman who was known for her poetry and eloquence. She was a contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad and is mentioned in several historical texts from that era.
In the 11th century, Rylah al-Qurtubiyya was a renowned female scholar and poet from Cordoba, Spain. She was highly respected for her contributions to literature and her mastery of the Arabic language during the golden age of Islamic culture in Andalusia.
During the 13th century, Rylah bint al-Husayn al-Mawsiliyya was a prominent female astronomer and mathematician from Mosul, Iraq. She made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was renowned for her expertise in calculating the positions of celestial bodies.
In the 16th century, Rylah al-Baghdadiyya was a celebrated calligrapher and artist from Baghdad, Iraq. Her intricate and beautiful calligraphic works adorned the walls of mosques and palaces, and she was highly regarded for her artistic talents.
More recently, in the 20th century, Rylah Abul Naga was an Egyptian actress and singer who gained popularity for her performances in numerous Arabic films and television shows. She was born in 1924 and passed away in 2004, leaving behind a legacy in the entertainment industry.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Rylah, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and the diverse accomplishments of those who have borne this name across various fields.
People
Rylah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rylah 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
Rylah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rylah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 418 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rylah 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 819,986 US residents.
Is Rylah a common name?
We classify Rylah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 421 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rylah most popular?
The single biggest year for Rylah was 2021, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rylah is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rylah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rylah 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.