Umamah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "mother of the nation".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Umamah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Umamah today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Umamah births was 2013 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Umamah. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Umamah with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Umamah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2013
6 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2020 SSA rank
#14,958
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Umamah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Umamah from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6 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
Umamah 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 Umamah 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 Umamah
The name Umamah is of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "umm," which means "mother." It is a feminine name that carries the meaning of "little mother" or "devoted mother." Its etymology can be traced back to the early days of Islam, around the 7th century CE.
The name Umamah has a strong connection to Islamic history and tradition. It is believed to have been mentioned in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, as well as in various hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). One hadith narrates the story of a woman named Umamah bint Al-Harith, who was known for her devotion to her family and her commitment to Islam.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Umamah dates back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. One notable figure from this era was Umamah bint Zainab, a companion of the Prophet and the daughter of his aunt, Zainab bint Khuzaimah. She was known for her knowledge of Islamic teachings and her role in transmitting hadith.
Throughout history, several prominent women have borne the name Umamah. One such figure was Umamah bint Abi Al-Salt (born around 650 CE), a scholar and hadith narrator from the early Islamic era. Another notable Umamah was Umamah bint Al-Walid (born around 680 CE), a renowned poet and writer who lived during the Umayyad Caliphate.
In more recent times, Umamah Al-Jalahimah (1920-2008) was a prominent Saudi Arabian writer and novelist. Her works focused on the lives of women in Saudi society and their struggles for empowerment.
Umamah Ahmad Shafi (born 1989) is a contemporary British author and activist who has written extensively on issues related to Islam, feminism, and social justice.
It is worth noting that while the name Umamah has deep roots in Islamic history and culture, it has also been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds and regions. The name's meaning and symbolism resonate with the universal concept of motherhood and nurturing, transcending cultural boundaries.
People
Umamah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Umamah 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
Umamah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Umamah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Umamah 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Umamah a common name?
We classify Umamah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Umamah most popular?
The single biggest year for Umamah was 2013, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Umamah is about 9 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 Umamah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Umamah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Umamah 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 Umamah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Umamah 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 Umamah 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 Umamah as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Umamah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.