Zaiyah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "outshiner" or "bright one".
Name Census estimates that about 199 living Americans carry the first name Zaiyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zaiyah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zaiyah births was 2023 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zaiyah. 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 Zaiyah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
199
~ 1 in 1,722,384 Americans
Peak year
2023
22 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,362
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Zaiyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zaiyah from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 125 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zaiyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zaiyah 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 Zaiyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zaiyahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Zaiyah
The given name Zaiyah is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, where it is derived from the word "zaiy," which means "splendor" or "brilliance." This name has its roots in the Middle Eastern and North African regions, where Arabic is widely spoken. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries CE.
In the Islamic tradition, the name Zaiyah is sometimes associated with spiritual enlightenment and radiance. It is often chosen by parents who wish to bestow upon their child the qualities of brightness and luminosity. While the name does not have any direct references in major religious texts, its underlying meaning resonates with the teachings of various faiths that emphasize the importance of inner light and wisdom.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Zaiyah was Zaiyah ibn Abi Zayd, a renowned Arabic poet and scholar who lived in the 9th century CE in present-day Iraq. His contributions to Arabic literature and poetry were widely celebrated during his time. Another notable figure was Zaiyah al-Andalusi, a brilliant mathematician and astronomer from the Iberian Peninsula, who made significant advancements in the field of celestial mechanics in the 11th century.
In more recent history, Zaiyah al-Jaza'iri was a prominent Algerian freedom fighter and revolutionary who played a pivotal role in the country's struggle for independence from French colonial rule in the mid-20th century. Born in 1924, his unwavering dedication to the cause of Algerian liberation earned him a place in the annals of the nation's history.
Another individual worthy of mention is Zaiyah al-Sudani, a celebrated Sudanese writer, and novelist who lived from 1938 to 2012. Her works, which explored themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the complexities of societal norms, earned her critical acclaim and numerous literary awards throughout her career.
Lastly, Zaiyah Ghazi was a renowned Pakistani physicist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics. Born in 1932, she spent her life dedicated to research and teaching, inspiring generations of students with her passion for scientific inquiry and her pursuit of knowledge.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Zaiyah throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and cultures.
People
Zaiyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zaiyah 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
Zaiyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zaiyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 199 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zaiyah 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 1,722,384 US residents.
Is Zaiyah a common name?
We classify Zaiyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 200 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zaiyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Zaiyah was 2023, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zaiyah 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 Zaiyah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zaiyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zaiyah 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 Zaiyah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zaiyah 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 Zaiyah 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 Zaiyah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.