Aaliyah
Girl name · #101 in 2025 · Well-known
In 2025, 2,607 baby girls were named Aaliyah, placing it at #101 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #47, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 690 girls born in 2025 was named Aaliyah.
Babies named Aaliyah per year. Source: SSA.
The 49-year story
Aaliyah first appears in the Social Security records in 1976, when 18 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2012, when 5,523 girls were named Aaliyah — good for #36 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Aaliyah against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Aaliyah in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Aaliyah is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Aaliyah is most common
Geography matters for names, and Aaliyah is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Aaliyah is most common in DE (5.8 per 1,000), NM (5.1 per 1,000), NV (4 per 1,000), AZ (3.3 per 1,000), SD (3.3 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 2 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Aaliyah is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Aaliyah
Statistically, parents drawn to Aaliyah tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Aliyah, Ariana, Kaliyah, Audrey, and Aubrey.
AliyahArianaKaliyahAudreyAubreyAddisonKennedyBrooklyn
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Aaliyah | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,607 | #101 |
| 2024 | 2,712 | #95 |
| 2023 | 2,858 | #85 |
| 2022 | 3,286 | #69 |
| 2021 | 3,619 | #61 |
| 2020 | 3,584 | #65 |
| 2019 | 3,675 | #70 |
| 2018 | 3,845 | #65 |
| 2017 | 4,197 | #57 |
| 2016 | 4,660 | #53 |
| 2015 | 4,884 | #47 |
| 2014 | 4,902 | #45 |
| 2013 | 5,246 | #37 |
| 2012 | 5,523 | #36 |
| 2011 | 5,129 | #46 |
| 2010 | 4,673 | #56 |
| 2009 | 4,378 | #63 |
| 2008 | 4,046 | #76 |
| 2007 | 3,961 | #83 |
| 2006 | 3,745 | #90 |
| 2005 | 3,459 | #93 |
| 2004 | 3,492 | #94 |
| 2003 | 3,673 | #90 |
| 2002 | 4,779 | #64 |
| 2001 | 3,352 | #96 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Aaliyah a popular girl name?
Aaliyah ranked #101 among girls in 2025 with 2,607 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #47.
When was the name Aaliyah most popular?
Aaliyah peaked in 2012, when 5,523 American girls received the name (ranked #36 that year). Since 2012 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Aaliyah?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 690 newborn American girls was named Aaliyah. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.