Zamiyah
A feminine name of Arabic origin, meaning "thirst-quencher" or "gatherer of people".
Name Census estimates that about 1,225 living Americans carry the first name Zamiyah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zamiyah today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zamiyah births was 2012 (84 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zamiyah. 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
- • Zamiyah is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 279,799 Americans
Peak year
2012
84 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,500
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Zamiyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zamiyah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 663 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zamiyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zamiyah 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 Zamiyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zamiyahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Florida, North Carolina, Texas recorded the most babies named Zamiyah, while Ohio, Louisiana, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zamiyah
The name Zamiyah is of Arabic origin and is believed to have emerged in the Middle East during the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic word "zam," which means "to gather" or "to collect." The name is often interpreted as "the gatherer" or "the collector."
In its earliest known usage, the name Zamiyah appeared in various Arabic literary works and historical records dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries CE. Some scholars suggest that it may have been inspired by the Islamic concept of "zamzam," which refers to the sacred well located within the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Zamiyah was Zamiyah bint Abi al-Salt, a renowned Arabic poet who lived in the 9th century CE. She was known for her eloquent poetry and her contributions to the literary circles of her time.
Another notable figure with the name Zamiyah was Zamiyah al-Qaramani, a 12th-century scholar and jurist from the city of Qaramana (modern-day Turkey). She was respected for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her teachings on various subjects, including Quranic exegesis and hadith studies.
In the 14th century, Zamiyah al-Baghdadi, a skilled calligrapher and artist from Baghdad, gained recognition for her intricate and beautiful calligraphic works. Her artistry was highly celebrated, and her works were often commissioned by the wealthy and influential members of society.
During the 15th century, Zamiyah al-Dimashqi, a Syrian scholar and historian, authored several influential works on the history and culture of Damascus. Her writings provided valuable insights into the social, political, and intellectual life of the region during that period.
In more recent times, Zamiyah al-Salihi, born in 1920 in Egypt, was a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights. She dedicated her life to promoting education and empowering women through various initiatives and organizations.
While the name Zamiyah has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among Muslim communities. The name carries a sense of cultural identity and a connection to the rich heritage of the Arabic language and Islamic traditions.
People
Zamiyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zamiyah 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
Zamiyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zamiyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,225 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zamiyah 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 279,799 US residents.
Is Zamiyah a common name?
We classify Zamiyah as "Rare". It ranks above 91.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,236 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zamiyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Zamiyah was 2012, when 84 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zamiyah is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zamiyah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zamiyah 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.