Naiah
Short Hebrew feminine name meaning "wanderer" or "motion".
Name Census estimates that about 218 living Americans carry the first name Naiah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Naiah today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Naiah births was 2021 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Naiah. 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 Naiah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
218
~ 1 in 1,572,268 Americans
Peak year
2021
27 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,258
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Naiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Naiah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 101 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Naiah 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 Naiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Naiahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Naiah
The name Naiah is a relatively modern variation of the Hebrew name Neha, which means "tranquil" or "peaceful." It is believed to have originated in the ancient Middle Eastern region during the biblical times, potentially as a shortened form of the Hebrew name Nehemiah, meaning "comforted by God."
While the exact origin of the name Naiah is uncertain, it shares similarities with other Hebrew names such as Naomi and Noa, both of which have roots in the ancient Hebrew language. The name may have been used sporadically throughout history, but there are no significant historical references or records of its usage until more recent times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Naiah can be found in the late 19th century, when Naiah Shira Shmuel (1875-1952) was a prominent Jewish scholar and educator in Palestine. She was known for her contributions to the study of Hebrew literature and her efforts in promoting education for women in the region.
Another notable figure with the name Naiah was Naiah Khalil (1922-1998), a Palestinian writer and activist who was actively involved in the Palestinian liberation movement. Her works focused on themes of Palestinian identity, resistance, and the struggle for self-determination.
In the field of music, Naiah Rivera (born 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and musician known for her work in the Latin pop and reggaeton genres. She has released several successful albums and has been praised for her unique fusion of styles.
Naiah Riverstream (born 1985) is an Australian environmental activist and campaigner who has dedicated her efforts to protecting the Great Barrier Reef and raising awareness about the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.
Lastly, Naiah Chukwumerije (born 1992) is a Nigerian-American entrepreneur and tech innovator. She co-founded a successful software company and has been recognized for her contributions to promoting diversity and inclusion in the technology industry.
While the name Naiah may have ancient roots, its resurgence and increasing popularity in various cultures and regions around the world is a more recent phenomenon, reflecting the diverse and multicultural societies of modern times.
People
Naiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Naiah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Naiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Naiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 218 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Naiah 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 1,572,268 US residents.
Is Naiah a common name?
We classify Naiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 220 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Naiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Naiah was 2021, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Naiah 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 Naiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Naiah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Naiah 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 Naiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Naiah 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 Naiah 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 Naiah?
You can see how many people share the name Naiah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.