Tayah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "obedient to God".
Name Census estimates that about 1,314 living Americans carry the first name Tayah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tayah today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tayah births was 1999 (103 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tayah. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 260,848 Americans
Peak year
1999
103 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,203
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Tayah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tayah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 608 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tayah 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 Tayah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Tayahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. California, Michigan, Texas recorded the most babies named Tayah, while Oregon, Illinois, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tayah
The name Tayah is believed to have its origins in the ancient Aramaic language, which was spoken in the Middle East during the Iron Age and ancient times. It is thought to be derived from the Aramaic word "taya," meaning "wanderer" or "traveler." This suggests that the name may have been given to children who were born during a journey or to those who were expected to travel extensively in their lives.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tayah can be found in the ancient Babylonian cuneiform tablets dating back to around the 6th century BCE. These tablets mention a person named "Tayah-ili," which translates to "Tayah is my god" in the Akkadian language. This indicates that the name may have held religious significance or been associated with deities in ancient Mesopotamian cultures.
In the ancient Hebrew scriptures, there is a reference to a place called "Taiah" in the Book of Ezra, which some scholars believe may be related to the name Tayah. However, the exact connection between the name and this location is unclear.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Tayah. One of the earliest recorded was Tayah al-Basri, an influential Islamic scholar and theologian who lived in the 8th century CE. He was renowned for his teachings on Islamic jurisprudence and his contributions to the development of Islamic theology.
Another prominent figure with the name Tayah was Tayah al-Ghaznawi, a renowned Persian poet and mystic who lived during the 11th century CE. His literary works, which explored themes of spirituality and love, were highly influential in the Persian literary tradition.
In the 13th century, there was Tayah al-Din al-Jundi, a Syrian historian and writer who chronicled the events of the Crusades and the Ayyubid dynasty in his works. His accounts provide valuable insights into the political and social dynamics of the time.
During the 16th century, Tayah Bey was a prominent Ottoman statesman and military leader who served as the governor of several provinces in the Ottoman Empire. He played a significant role in the expansion and consolidation of Ottoman power in the region.
In more recent times, Tayah Minh was a Vietnamese revolutionary and political leader who played a crucial role in the struggle for independence from French colonial rule in the early 20th century. She was a prominent figure in the Vietnamese nationalist movement and worked tirelessly to promote the cause of Vietnamese independence.
These are just a few examples of the notable individuals who have borne the name Tayah throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human civilization.
People
Tayah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tayah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tayah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tayah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,314 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tayah 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 260,848 US residents.
Is Tayah a common name?
We classify Tayah as "Rare". It ranks above 91.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,333 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tayah most popular?
The single biggest year for Tayah was 1999, when 103 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tayah is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tayah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tayah 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.