Anilah
A feminine name of Arabic origin derived from the word "nil" meaning river or nile.
Name Census estimates that about 488 living Americans carry the first name Anilah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Anilah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Anilah births was 2012 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Anilah. 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 Anilah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
488
~ 1 in 702,365 Americans
Peak year
2012
40 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,169
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Anilah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Anilah 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 286 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Anilah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Anilah 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 Anilah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Anilahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Florida, Georgia, Illinois recorded the most babies named Anilah, while New York, California, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Anilah
The name Anilah finds its roots in the Arabic language, hailing from the Middle Eastern region. It is believed to have originated during the medieval Islamic era, around the 7th century CE. The name is derived from the Arabic word "anila," which means "to attain" or "to achieve." It carries a connotation of striving for success, accomplishment, and fulfillment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Anilah can be traced back to the 9th century CE, when it was mentioned in an Arabic manuscript detailing the lives of notable scholars and academics. This suggests that the name was in use and held significance during that time.
Throughout history, several individuals have borne the name Anilah. One notable figure was Anilah bint Al-Rashid, a renowned poetess who lived in the 8th century CE in Baghdad, Iraq. Her poetry was widely celebrated and served as an influential voice during the Golden Age of Islamic culture.
Another prominent individual named Anilah was a 12th-century philosopher and mathematician from Persia (present-day Iran). Her contributions to the fields of geometry and algebra were groundbreaking, and she is recognized for her writings on the theoretical foundations of mathematics.
In the 14th century, Anilah Al-Khatib was a revered scholar and religious leader in Damascus, Syria. She was known for her extensive knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and played a significant role in preserving and disseminating Islamic teachings.
During the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, Anilah Effendi was a respected advisor to the Sultan. Her wisdom and counsel were highly valued, and she held a prominent position in the imperial court.
In more recent times, Anilah Al-Saadi was a celebrated author and activist from Egypt, born in 1920. Her literary works explored themes of social justice, women's rights, and cultural identity, leaving a lasting impact on Egyptian literature.
The name Anilah has traversed through various cultures and time periods, carrying with it a sense of achievement, intellect, and wisdom. While the origins of the name can be traced back to the Arabic language, its essence has transcended borders, resonating with individuals from diverse backgrounds who value the pursuit of knowledge and success.
People
Anilah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Anilah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Anilah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Anilah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 488 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Anilah 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 702,365 US residents.
Is Anilah a common name?
We classify Anilah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 492 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Anilah most popular?
The single biggest year for Anilah was 2012, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Anilah is about 11 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 Anilah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Anilah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Anilah 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 Anilah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Anilah 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 Anilah 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 have the name Anilah?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Anilah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.