Shariyah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "path to the watering place".
Name Census estimates that about 490 living Americans carry the first name Shariyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shariyah today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shariyah births was 2011 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shariyah. 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
490
~ 1 in 699,499 Americans
Peak year
2011
45 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,222
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Shariyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shariyah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 246 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shariyah 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 Shariyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shariyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Illinois, Florida, Georgia recorded the most babies named Shariyah, while Georgia, Florida, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shariyah
The name Shariyah is of Arabic origin and has its roots in the word "Shari'ah," which refers to the Islamic religious law derived from the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad. This name gained prominence during the rise of Islam in the 7th century AD.
In Arabic, the word "Shari'ah" literally means "the way" or "the path to be followed." It encompasses the moral and ethical principles that guide Muslims in their daily lives, encompassing various aspects such as worship, social interactions, and legal matters. The name Shariyah is essentially a feminine form of this term, carrying the connotation of being connected to the Islamic faith and its principles.
While the name itself does not appear in any specific ancient texts or religious scriptures, its origin can be traced back to the foundational texts of Islam, including the Quran and the Hadith (the recorded sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad).
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Shariyah can be found in historical records from the medieval Islamic period, particularly in regions where Arabic was the predominant language. It was not uncommon for Muslim families to name their daughters with names that held religious or spiritual significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shariyah. One such example is Shariyah al-Andalusi (1035-1094 AD), a renowned female scholar and poet from the Andalusian region of Spain during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization. Her works contributed significantly to the literary and intellectual traditions of the time.
Another notable figure was Shariyah bint al-Husayn (1218-1283 AD), a Sufi mystic and poet from Damascus, Syria. She was renowned for her spiritual writings and her profound influence on the Sufi tradition within the Islamic world.
In the 15th century, Shariyah al-Qaysariyyah (1412-1480 AD) was a prominent Islamic jurist and scholar from Cairo, Egypt. She was highly regarded for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her contributions to the study of Sharia law.
Moving into more recent times, Shariyah al-Badriyyah (1885-1965 AD) was an influential Egyptian feminist and advocate for women's rights. She played a pivotal role in promoting education and empowerment for women in the early 20th century.
Lastly, Shariyah al-Misri (1927-2021 AD) was a renowned Egyptian author and academic who wrote extensively on topics related to Arabic literature, Islamic philosophy, and women's issues. Her works have had a lasting impact on scholarly discourse in the Arab world.
People
Shariyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shariyah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shariyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shariyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 490 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shariyah 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 699,499 US residents.
Is Shariyah a common name?
We classify Shariyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 495 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shariyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Shariyah was 2011, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shariyah is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shariyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shariyah 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.