Kaniyah
Girl name · #2986 in 2025 · Uniqueness 79/100
Kaniyah is currently the #2986 girl name in the United States — 56 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #2236, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 32,143 girls born in 2025 was named Kaniyah.
Babies named Kaniyah per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 29-year story
Kaniyah first appears in the Social Security records in 1996, when 8 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2010, when 147 girls were named Kaniyah — good for #1521 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 Kaniyah against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kaniyah in class?
Kaniyah scores 79 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Kaniyah will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Kaniyah is most common
State-level data for Kaniyah is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Kaniyah
Statistically, parents drawn to Kaniyah tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Khaliyah, Makiyah, Anaiyah, Raniyah, and Jamiyah.
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Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Kaniyah | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 | #2957 |
| 2024 | 37 | #3963 |
| 2023 | 54 | #3047 |
| 2022 | 92 | #2087 |
| 2021 | 77 | #2345 |
| 2020 | 70 | #2468 |
| 2019 | 81 | #2249 |
| 2018 | 81 | #2254 |
| 2017 | 76 | #2384 |
| 2016 | 88 | #2188 |
| 2015 | 84 | #2236 |
| 2014 | 87 | #2176 |
| 2013 | 87 | #2152 |
| 2012 | 118 | #1744 |
| 2011 | 122 | #1708 |
| 2010 | 147 | #1521 |
| 2009 | 133 | #1676 |
| 2008 | 131 | #1704 |
| 2007 | 133 | #1666 |
| 2006 | 140 | #1552 |
| 2005 | 122 | #1639 |
| 2004 | 102 | #1855 |
| 2003 | 78 | #2203 |
| 2002 | 56 | #2709 |
| 2001 | 48 | #2963 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kaniyah a popular girl name?
Kaniyah ranked #2986 among girls in 2025 with 56 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2236.
When was the name Kaniyah most popular?
Kaniyah peaked in 2010, when 147 American girls received the name (ranked #1521 that year). Since 2010 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Kaniyah?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 32,143 newborn American girls was named Kaniyah. It scores 79/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
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.