Saylah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "gift" or "present".
Name Census estimates that about 362 living Americans carry the first name Saylah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Saylah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saylah births was 2023 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Saylah. 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
362
~ 1 in 946,835 Americans
Peak year
2023
56 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,365
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Saylah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Saylah 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 196 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
Saylah 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 Saylah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Saylahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Indiana recorded the most babies named Saylah, while North Carolina, Indiana, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Saylah
The name Saylah is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots dating back to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic word "saylah," which means "torrent" or "flood." This name holds significance in the Islamic culture and has been associated with strength, power, and resilience.
The earliest known historical reference to the name Saylah can be found in the ancient Arabic poetry of the pre-Islamic era. Poets often used the word "saylah" as a metaphor to describe the overwhelming force of nature or the intensity of emotions. It was not uncommon for poets to name their children after powerful natural phenomena, reflecting their admiration for the grandeur of the natural world.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Saylah was Saylah ibn Malik, a renowned Arab warrior and poet who lived in the 7th century AD. He was known for his bravery and skill in battle, as well as his eloquent verses that celebrated the virtues of courage and honor.
Another notable figure bearing the name Saylah was Saylah al-Kindi, a prominent philosopher and mathematician who lived during the 9th century AD. He made significant contributions to the fields of optics and astronomy, and his works were widely studied and appreciated throughout the Islamic world.
In the 11th century, Saylah al-Isfahani was a celebrated Persian poet and scholar. His poetic works were widely acclaimed for their depth of emotion and mastery of language. He is considered one of the most influential figures in the development of Persian literature during the medieval period.
During the 13th century, Saylah al-Dimashqi was a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Damascus. He was highly respected for his vast knowledge of Islamic law and his contributions to the study of Sharia. His writings on jurisprudence and theology were widely studied and referenced by scholars across the Islamic world.
In more recent times, Saylah al-Khalidi was a prominent Syrian politician and diplomat who lived in the 20th century. He served as the Prime Minister of Syria in the 1940s and played a crucial role in the country's struggle for independence from French rule.
While the name Saylah has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has since transcended geographical and cultural boundaries, gaining popularity in various regions of the world. Its association with strength, power, and resilience has resonated with people from diverse backgrounds, ensuring its enduring legacy throughout history.
People
Saylah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Saylah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Saylah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Saylah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 362 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saylah 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 946,835 US residents.
Is Saylah a common name?
We classify Saylah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 365 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Saylah most popular?
The single biggest year for Saylah was 2023, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saylah is about 8 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 Saylah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Saylah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Saylah 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 Saylah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Saylah 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 Saylah 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 common is the name Saylah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.