Jamya
Feminine name derived from the Persian name Jamila, meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 5,475 living Americans carry the first name Jamya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jamya today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamya births was 2005 (435 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamya. 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
5.5K
~ 1 in 62,604 Americans
Peak year
2005
435 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,136
Tracked since 1991
Census
Jamya in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,090 people with the first name Jamya, which placed it at #4,520 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,520
National first-name rank
People counted
4.1K
4,090 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
92.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jamya
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamya is Black at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jamya described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jamya at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.2% · 3,769
- Two or more races4.2% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 79
- White1.5% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Popularity
Jamya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamya from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 3,526 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jamya 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 Jamya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jamyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. Georgia, Florida, Texas recorded the most babies named Jamya, while Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 195 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jamya
The name Jamya is a unique and fascinating one, with roots that can be traced back to various cultures and languages. Its origins are believed to lie in the ancient Sanskrit language, which was widely spoken in the Indian subcontinent. In Sanskrit, the word "jamya" is derived from the root "jam," meaning "to be born" or "to come into existence."
This connection to the concept of birth and new beginnings suggests that Jamya may have been used as a name to symbolize the arrival of a new life or to wish for a prosperous future for the child. The name's resemblance to the Sanskrit word "jamya" also hints at its potential ties to Hinduism or other ancient Indian traditions.
Interestingly, variations of the name Jamya can also be found in several African cultures. For instance, in the Yoruba language spoken in parts of West Africa, the name "Jamya" is thought to be a combination of the words "jam" and "iya," which together mean "to hold" and "mother," respectively. This interpretation reflects the nurturing and protective qualities often associated with motherhood.
While the historical records mentioning the name Jamya are scarce, there are a few notable individuals who have borne this name throughout the centuries. One such person is Jamya al-Dīn al-Ghazālī, a renowned Persian philosopher and theologian who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries. His influential works, such as "The Incoherence of the Philosophers" and "The Revival of the Religious Sciences," have had a lasting impact on Islamic thought and philosophy.
Another prominent figure with the name Jamya is Jamya Sayyid, an Indian poet and scholar who lived during the 17th century. Sayyid was a prominent figure in the literary circles of the Mughal Empire and is best known for his contributions to Persian and Urdu poetry.
In the modern era, the name Jamya has been carried by several accomplished individuals, such as Jamya Sabatoo, a Kenyan journalist and human rights activist who has worked tirelessly to promote press freedom and social justice in her country.
Additionally, Jamya Mariam, an Egyptian actress and model, has gained recognition for her work in various television series and films, showcasing the versatility and global appeal of this name.
While the name Jamya may not be as widely known or popular as some other names, its rich cultural heritage and unique blend of meanings make it a fascinating choice for those seeking a name with depth and significance.
People
Jamya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jamya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,475 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamya 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 62,604 US residents.
Is Jamya a common name?
We classify Jamya as "Rare". It ranks above 96.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,548 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamya most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamya was 2005, when 435 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamya is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jamya in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,090 people with the name Jamya, or 1.35 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,520 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jamya in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jamya?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jamya appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,085 people counted with this name, 99.3% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jamya?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamya is Black at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jamya most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jamya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,769 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Jamya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jamya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jamya 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 Jamya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jamya 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 Jamya 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.
How many people are named Jamya?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.