Hidaya
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "guidance" or "wisdom".
Name Census estimates that about 239 living Americans carry the first name Hidaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hidaya today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hidaya births was 2018 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hidaya. 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 Hidaya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
239
~ 1 in 1,434,119 Americans
Peak year
2018
28 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,005
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Hidaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hidaya 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 116 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hidaya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hidaya 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 Hidaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hidayas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hidaya
The name Hidaya has its origins in Arabic and Islamic culture, with its roots dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "hidayah," which means "guidance" or "direction," reflecting the Islamic concept of seeking spiritual guidance and enlightenment.
In the Islamic tradition, the term "hidayah" is frequently used in the Quran and other religious texts to refer to the divine guidance and illumination provided by Allah to humanity. The name Hidaya is often chosen for children with the hope that they will be blessed with guidance and wisdom throughout their lives.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hidaya can be found in the writings of the renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 CE), who authored the influential work "Al-Hidayah fi al-Fiqh" (The Guidance in Jurisprudence). This seminal text on Islamic jurisprudence played a significant role in shaping the development of Islamic legal thought.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hidaya, including Hidaya Sultana (1461-1516 CE), a powerful and influential queen consort of the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan region of India. She was known for her patronage of art, architecture, and literature during her husband's reign.
Another prominent figure was Hidaya Begum (1828-1897 CE), a renowned poet and courtesan in the Mughal court of Delhi. Her poetic works, written under the pen name "Qudsia," were highly acclaimed and celebrated for their exceptional literary merit and emotional depth.
In the realm of Islamic scholarship, Hidaya Fatima (1891-1971 CE) was a pioneering female scholar from India who played a pivotal role in promoting women's education and empowerment within the Muslim community. She established numerous educational institutions and worked tirelessly to uplift the status of women in society.
The name Hidaya has also been associated with figures in the contemporary era, such as Hidaya Sultan (1925-2022 CE), a celebrated Pakistani classical singer and one of the most influential voices in the region's music scene. Her contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional music genres were widely recognized and acclaimed.
Additionally, Hidaya Alamuddin (born 1986 CE) is a prominent British-Lebanese barrister and human rights activist, best known for her work in international criminal law and her advocacy for justice and human rights causes around the world.
These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse contexts in which the name Hidaya has been embraced, reflecting the cultural and spiritual significance it holds within the Arabic and Islamic traditions.
People
Hidaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hidaya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hidaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hidaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 239 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hidaya 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 1,434,119 US residents.
Is Hidaya a common name?
We classify Hidaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 241 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hidaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Hidaya was 2018, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hidaya is about 10 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 Hidaya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hidaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hidaya 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 Hidaya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hidaya 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 Hidaya 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 called Hidaya?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.