Ulah
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly from a Sanskrit word meaning glow or radiance.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Ulah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ulah today is around 107 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ulah births was 1922 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ulah. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ulah is about 107 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ulahs were born before 1929.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ulah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1922
11 babies that year
Average age
107
years old
1934 SSA rank
#3,425
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Ulah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ulah from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 46 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ulah 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 Ulah 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 Ulah
The given name Ulah finds its roots in the ancient Sumerian civilization, one of the earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia, dating back to around 3500 BCE. The name is derived from the Sumerian word "ulu," which translates to "friend" or "companion." It is believed that the name gained popularity as a way to express the bond between parents and their newborn child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ulah can be found in the Sumerian King List, an ancient manuscript that chronicles the rulers of Sumer. The list mentions a king named Ulah, who ruled over the city-state of Uruk around 2800 BCE. Although the historical accuracy of this record is debated, it provides insight into the antiquity of the name.
In ancient Sumerian mythology, Ulah was also the name of a minor deity associated with friendship and camaraderie. However, there are limited records and references to this deity in surviving cuneiform texts.
During the Akkadian Empire, which dominated Mesopotamia from around 2350 BCE to 2150 BCE, the name Ulah was sometimes spelled as "Ulahu" or "Ulahu-ili," reflecting the influence of the Akkadian language on the region.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Ulah was a Sumerian scribe who lived around 2100 BCE. His surviving works, carved on clay tablets, provide valuable insights into the daily life and administrative practices of ancient Sumer.
In the later Babylonian period, around 1800 BCE, a prominent official named Ulah served as the governor of the city of Sippar. His name is inscribed on several clay tablets and seals, attesting to his importance in the region's administration.
Another notable figure named Ulah was a Hittite prince who lived around 1350 BCE. He is mentioned in the Hittite royal annals as a participant in a military campaign against the kingdom of Arzawa, demonstrating the name's usage in the ancient Anatolian civilization.
During the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which ruled Mesopotamia from around 911 BCE to 609 BCE, the name Ulah was sometimes used as a variant spelling of the more common Assyrian name "Ululu," meaning "strong friend."
In the later Persian period, around 500 BCE, a Persian official named Ulah is recorded as serving in the administration of the Achaemenid Empire. His name appears on several inscriptions and seals from this period, indicating the continued use of the name in the region.
While the name Ulah has its origins in ancient Mesopotamia, it has also been recorded in other cultures and time periods, though with less frequency. For example, there are records of individuals named Ulah in medieval Islamic texts and in certain European chronicles from the Middle Ages.
People
Ulah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ulah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ulah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ulah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ulah 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Ulah a common name?
We classify Ulah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 83 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ulah most popular?
The single biggest year for Ulah was 1922, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ulah is about 107 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ulah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ulah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ulah 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.
Is Ulah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ulah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ulah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Ulah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.