Zarayah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has arisen".
Name Census estimates that about 240 living Americans carry the first name Zarayah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zarayah today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zarayah births was 2024 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zarayah. 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 Zarayah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
240
~ 1 in 1,428,143 Americans
Peak year
2024
21 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,936
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Zarayah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zarayah 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 132 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zarayah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zarayah 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 Zarayah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zarayahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Zarayah
The name Zarayah is of Arabic origin and is derived from the root word "zahra," which means "flower" or "blossom." It has been used in various Arabic-speaking regions for centuries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
In Islamic tradition, the name Zarayah is associated with the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, Fatima al-Zahra, who is revered as a symbol of purity and virtue. This connection has contributed to the name's popularity among Muslim communities worldwide.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zarayah can be found in the writings of renowned Islamic scholars and historians from the 7th and 8th centuries, such as Ibn Ishaq and Al-Tabari. These texts often refer to women associated with the early Islamic community who bore this name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Zarayah. One of the most famous was Zarayah al-Baghdadiyah, a prominent female scholar and poet who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century. She was renowned for her expertise in Arabic literature and her contributions to the intellectual and cultural landscape of the Abbasid Caliphate.
Another notable figure was Zarayah al-Andalusiyah, a Spanish-Arab philosopher and mathematician who lived in Cordoba during the 10th century. She made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and mathematics and was highly respected in the intellectual circles of her time.
In the 12th century, Zarayah al-Dimashqiyah was a renowned Sufi mystic and poet from Damascus. Her writings and teachings on spirituality and self-discovery greatly influenced the Sufi tradition and continue to be studied and revered by scholars and seekers alike.
During the 16th century, Zarayah al-Malikah was a powerful and influential queen who ruled over parts of Yemen. She was known for her strong leadership, diplomatic skills, and patronage of the arts and literature.
In more recent times, Zarayah al-Saghir was a renowned Egyptian actress and singer who graced the stage and screen in the mid-20th century. Her captivating performances and iconic roles earned her widespread acclaim and made her a beloved figure in the Arab world.
These are just a few examples of the many remarkable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Zarayah, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and intellectual heritage.
People
Zarayah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zarayah 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
Zarayah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zarayah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 240 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zarayah 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 1,428,143 US residents.
Is Zarayah a common name?
We classify Zarayah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 242 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zarayah most popular?
The single biggest year for Zarayah was 2024, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zarayah is about 9 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 Zarayah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zarayah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zarayah 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 Zarayah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zarayah 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 Zarayah 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 share the name Zarayah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.