Zahiya
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "radiant" or "brilliant".
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Zahiya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zahiya today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zahiya births was 2011 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zahiya. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zahiya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
2011
6 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2019 SSA rank
#17,932
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Zahiya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zahiya from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 16 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
Zahiya 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 Zahiya 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 Zahiya
The name Zahiya is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "zahia" which means "brilliant" or "shining." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the 7th century AD, around the time of the Islamic Golden Age.
The name's roots can be traced back to the Arabic language, which was widely spoken across the Middle East and parts of North Africa during the medieval period. The name's meaning reflects the appreciation for knowledge and intellectual pursuits that flourished during this era.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Zahiya can be found in the works of renowned Arab scholars and poets from the 8th and 9th centuries. It was a popular name among the elite and scholarly circles of the time.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Zahiya. One of the earliest was Zahiya bint Abi Zahir (born around 780 AD), a renowned poet and scholar from Baghdad, who was highly regarded for her mastery of Arabic literature and poetry.
Another prominent figure was Zahiya al-Dimashqiyya (1135-1242), a celebrated Damascene scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the fields of literature, theology, and jurisprudence. Her works were widely studied and influential during her lifetime and beyond.
In the 14th century, Zahiya al-Qurashiyya (1300-1370) was a prominent Sufi mystic and spiritual leader from Cairo. Her teachings and writings on Islamic mysticism had a lasting impact on the Sufi tradition in the region.
During the 19th century, Zahiya Khayyat (1823-1901) was a pioneering Lebanese writer and activist who advocated for women's education and rights. Her groundbreaking work helped pave the way for future generations of Arab women writers and intellectuals.
More recently, Zahiya Ramdane (1923-1957) was an Algerian revolutionary and a prominent figure in the Algerian War of Independence against French colonial rule. She became a symbol of resistance and struggle for Algerian freedom and independence.
The name Zahiya has held significance throughout various historical periods, reflecting the intellectual and cultural richness of the Arab world. Its enduring presence serves as a reminder of the region's influential scholars, poets, and trailblazers who have left an indelible mark on history.
People
Zahiya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zahiya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zahiya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zahiya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zahiya 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 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Zahiya a common name?
We classify Zahiya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zahiya most popular?
The single biggest year for Zahiya was 2011, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zahiya is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zahiya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zahiya 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.