Umayah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "little female gazelle".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Umayah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Umayah today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Umayah births was 2000 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Umayah. 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 Umayah with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Umayah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2000
7 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2000 SSA rank
#13,085
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Umayah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Umayah 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 Umayah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Umayah
The name Umayah is of Arabic origin and can be traced back to the early days of Islam. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "ummah," which means "community" or "nation." The name is closely associated with the Umayyad Caliphate, one of the most powerful and influential dynasties in Islamic history.
The Umayyad Caliphate was established in 661 CE and ruled from Damascus until its downfall in 750 CE. During this period, the name Umayah gained prominence as it was borne by several members of the ruling family. One of the most notable figures was Muawiyah I, the founder of the Umayyad dynasty, who ruled from 661 to 680 CE.
Another prominent historical figure named Umayah was Umayyah ibn Khalaf, a member of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca during the 7th century. He was a staunch opponent of the Prophet Muhammad and played a significant role in the early conflicts between the Muslim community and the pagan tribes of Mecca.
In the realm of Islamic scholarship, Umayah ibn Abi al-Salt was a renowned jurist and theologian who lived in the 8th century CE. He was a prominent figure in the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence and made significant contributions to the development of Islamic legal thought.
During the medieval period, the name Umayah was also found among various Muslim dynasties and rulers. One notable example is Umayah ibn Abdallah, a governor of Andalusia (modern-day Spain) during the 9th century CE, who played a crucial role in the expansion of Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula.
In more recent history, Umayah al-Shaghouri was a Syrian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria from 1955 to 1956. He played a significant role in shaping Syria's foreign policy during a tumultuous period in the country's history.
While the name Umayah has its roots in the early days of Islam and was particularly prominent during the Umayyad Caliphate, it has since been used across various Muslim communities and cultures throughout history, with individuals bearing this name making notable contributions in various fields.
People
Umayah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Umayah 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
Umayah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Umayah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Umayah 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Umayah a common name?
We classify Umayah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Umayah most popular?
The single biggest year for Umayah was 2000, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Umayah is about 25 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 Umayah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Umayah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Umayah 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 Umayah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Umayah 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 Umayah 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 share the name Umayah?
Want to know how many Americans are named Umayah? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.