Aalayah
Aalayah was the 3028th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 54 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 2285th with 79 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 473 places. More babies were named Aalayah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Alaia) joyful (Basque) · Basque
- Rank in 2025
- #3,028 girls, down 61 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 54girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201979 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,276babies recorded
What does the name Aalayah mean?
Aalayah is a spelling of Alaia, pronounced the same way, so it shares Alaia's meaning and origin.
Alaia is a Basque girl's name from alai, 'joyful, cheerful', and Wiktionary says it was borrowed into English use in the 21st century. Wiktionary also notes that earlier English uses may instead echo Hebrew aliyah, 'ascent', or Arabic aaliya, 'high, exalted'. Separately, alaia is the Hawaiian name of a traditional wooden surfboard, as Wikipedia notes, but that is not the source of the name.
alai (Basque, “joyful, cheerful”)
How sure is this? Probable. The modern name is mainly the Basque one; similar-sounding Hebrew and Arabic words may lie behind some uses.
Related names: Alaya, Alaiya, Aaliyah.
See also: names that mean joy.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Alaia', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Alaia', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Aalayah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,028 | 54 |
| 2020 | #2,967 | 54 |
| 2010 | #4,107 | 36 |
| 2000 | #7,580 | 13 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Aalayah, counting every spelling?
Aalayah is a spelling of Alaia, a name family that ranked #57 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,028 for Aalayah on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,490 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaia | 2,318 | #117 | 11,352 |
| Alayah | 756 | #412 | 4,171 |
| Alaya | 834 | #368 | 4,129 |
| Aleia | 279 | #933 | 1,225 |
| Alaiah | 121 | #1,692 | 550 |
| Aalayah | 54 | #3,028 | 296 |
| Aleiah | 44 | #3,462 | 211 |
| Alaiia | 41 | #3,646 | 166 |
| Aalaya | 15 | #7,133 | 64 |
| Allayah | 11 | #8,893 | 57 |
| Alleia | 17 | #6,558 | 32 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Aalayah?
54 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Aalayah (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Aalayah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 155 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Aalayah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Aalayah?
About 1,300 people born in the US named Aalayah are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 6 and 17. That makes Aalayah a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Aalayah by state
How common Aalayah was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 46 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Aalayah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Aalayah, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Aalayah
What does Aalayah mean?
Aalayah is a spelling of Alaia, which means “joyful (Basque)” (Basque origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Aalayah?
Aalayah was the 3028th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 54 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 2285th with 79 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 473 places. More babies were named Aalayah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Aalayah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Aalayah in the US.
Where is Aalayah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Aalayah was most common in Florida (0.05 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Texas.