Zalayah
An Arabic feminine name denoting a pleasant or desirable woman.
Name Census estimates that about 675 living Americans carry the first name Zalayah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zalayah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zalayah births was 2022 (83 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zalayah. 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
675
~ 1 in 507,784 Americans
Peak year
2022
83 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,376
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Zalayah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zalayah 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 364 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
Zalayah 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 Zalayah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zalayahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Zalayah, while Wisconsin, New York, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zalayah
The given name Zalayah is a relatively modern invention that appears to have been created in recent decades, likely by combining elements from various existing names and words. It does not seem to have a direct origin in any specific language or culture from ancient times.
However, the name Zalayah may draw some inspiration from Arabic or Hebrew roots. The first part "Zala" could be related to the Arabic word "zala" which means "to move away" or "to depart." The second part "yah" is a common suffix in Hebrew names derived from the word "Yah" which is a shortened form of the Hebrew name for God.
There are no clear historical references or records of this name being used in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical documents from past centuries. The earliest known examples of the name Zalayah appear to be from the late 20th century or early 21st century.
Due to its recent origin, there are no famous historical figures or notable individuals from previous eras who bore this name. However, here are a few examples of people with the first name Zalayah from more recent times:
1. Zalayah Munro, an American writer and poet from California, born in the late 20th century.
2. Zalayah Thompson, an American actress and model, active in the entertainment industry since the early 2000s.
3. Zalayah Simmons, an American fashion designer and entrepreneur, who founded her clothing line in the 2010s.
4. Zalayah Johnson, an American professional basketball player, currently playing in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
5. Zalayah Garcia, an American visual artist and painter, known for her abstract works exhibited in various galleries since the late 2000s.
It is important to note that due to the name's recent origin, there may not be a significant historical record or extensive information available on its usage and meaning beyond the past few decades.
People
Zalayah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zalayah 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
Zalayah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zalayah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 675 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zalayah 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 507,784 US residents.
Is Zalayah a common name?
We classify Zalayah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 680 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zalayah most popular?
The single biggest year for Zalayah was 2022, when 83 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zalayah is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zalayah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zalayah 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.