Xaniyah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "trustworthy and loyal".
Name Census estimates that about 183 living Americans carry the first name Xaniyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Xaniyah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xaniyah births was 2023 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xaniyah. 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
183
~ 1 in 1,872,975 Americans
Peak year
2023
30 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,491
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Xaniyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Xaniyah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 90 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
Xaniyah 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 Xaniyah 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 Xaniyah
The name Xaniyah is a modern variation of the Arabic name Shaniya, which is derived from the word "shani," meaning "beautiful." It is a relatively new name, with its origins likely dating back to the late 20th century.
While the name itself may not have a long history, its roots can be traced back to the Arabic language and culture. The name's association with beauty and grace reflects the influence of Arabic naming traditions, which often emphasize desirable qualities or virtues.
As a relatively new name, there are no notable historical references or ancient texts mentioning Xaniyah specifically. However, the name's connection to Arabic language and culture suggests that it may have gained popularity in recent decades among Arabic-speaking communities or those with ties to the Middle East.
Due to its modern origins, there are limited recorded examples of the name Xaniyah throughout history. However, here are five individuals who have carried this name:
1. Xaniyah Burrell, an American child actor known for her role in the television series "The Upshaws" (born in 2011).
2. Xaniyah Merrill, an American track and field athlete who competed in the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships (born in 2001).
3. Xaniyah Terry, an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Teenage Greenville 2019 (year of birth unknown).
4. Xaniyah Johnson, an American high school basketball player who was a standout at Brush High School in Cleveland, Ohio (year of birth unknown).
5. Xaniyah Goolsby, an American high school track and field athlete who competed in the 2021 Texas Relays (year of birth unknown).
It's important to note that due to the name's relatively recent emergence, many of the individuals listed above are young or contemporary figures, reflecting the name's modern popularity.
People
Xaniyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xaniyah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with X
Other first names starting with X with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Xaniyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xaniyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 183 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xaniyah 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 1,872,975 US residents.
Is Xaniyah a common name?
We classify Xaniyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 184 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xaniyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Xaniyah was 2023, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xaniyah is about 8 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 Xaniyah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xaniyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Xaniyah 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 Xaniyah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xaniyah 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 Xaniyah 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 are named Xaniyah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.