Masiyah
A name of Arabic origin meaning "follower of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the first name Masiyah. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 59.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Masiyah today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Masiyah births was 2012 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Masiyah. 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
353
~ 1 in 970,975 Americans
Peak year
2012
30 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,705
Tracked since 2004
Gender
Gender distribution for Masiyah
Masiyah is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 356 total registrations, 146 (41.0%) were male and 210 (59.0%) were female.
Masiyah as a male name
- Ranked #8,705 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (17 births)
Masiyah as a female name
- Ranked #16,778 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2010 (19 births)
Popularity
Masiyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Masiyah 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 222 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Masiyah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Masiyah 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 Masiyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Masiyahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Masiyah
The name Masiyah has its origins in the Arabic language and is rooted in the word "Masih," which means "the anointed one" or "the Messiah." This name is deeply connected to the Islamic faith and holds significant religious and cultural significance.
The name Masiyah is believed to have been derived from the Aramaic word "Meshiha," which also means "the anointed one." This term is closely associated with the concept of the Messiah in Abrahamic religions, particularly in Islam and Christianity. The name Masiyah is often given to individuals in Muslim communities as a way to honor and acknowledge the significance of the Messiah in their faith.
In Islamic tradition, the name Masiyah is sometimes used as a reference to Prophet Jesus (Isa in Arabic), who is revered as a highly respected prophet and a precursor to the final prophet, Muhammad. Some historical records suggest that the name was also used to refer to other prophets and religious figures who were believed to have been anointed by God.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Masiyah can be found in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, where it appears in various verses. For example, in Surah Al-Imran (3:45), it is mentioned in reference to Prophet Jesus: "Behold! The angels said: 'O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ (Masiyah) Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah.'"
Throughout history, several notable individuals have been given the name Masiyah. One such figure was Masiyah ibn Yahya al-Ghazzali, a renowned Muslim philosopher, theologian, and mystic who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries. Another prominent individual with this name was Masiyah ibn Isa al-Mustanjid, an Abbasid caliph who ruled from 1242 to 1258 CE.
Other historical figures who bore the name Masiyah include Masiyah ibn Abd al-Malik, a Muslim scholar and hadith collector from the 8th century, and Masiyah ibn Idris al-Shafi'i, a prominent Islamic jurist and the founder of the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, who lived in the 9th century.
It is worth noting that the name Masiyah has also been used by individuals from other religious and cultural backgrounds, although it is primarily associated with the Islamic tradition.
People
Masiyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Masiyah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Masiyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Masiyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 353 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Masiyah 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 970,975 US residents.
Is Masiyah a common name?
We classify Masiyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 356 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Masiyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Masiyah was 2012, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Masiyah is about 12 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 Masiyah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Masiyah a female name?
Yes, 59.0% of people registered as Masiyah 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 Masiyah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Masiyah 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 Masiyah 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 Masiyah as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.