Alliyah
Alliyah was the 6340th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 1169th; the most babies were born in 2002 (173). Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,602 places. More babies were named Alliyah in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Aaliyah) high, exalted · Arabic
- Rank in 2025
- #6,340 girls, down 1,689 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 18girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2002173 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,013babies recorded
What does the name Alliyah mean?
Alliyah is a spelling of Aaliyah, pronounced the same way, so it shares Aaliyah's meaning and origin.
Aaliyah is an English spelling of the Arabic name Aaliya, the feminine form of an adjective meaning 'high, exalted, lofty'. Wiktionary's Arabic entries give that sense. The R&B singer Aaliyah (1979 to 2001) made the name widely known in the US. Hebrew aliyah, 'ascent' or 'going up', is a separate but similar-sounding word that Wikipedia also discusses under the name, and Wiktionary lists Aliyah as a girl's name from either source.
عَالِيَة (Arabic, “ʿāliya, high, exalted (feminine)”)עֲלִיָּה (Hebrew, “aliyah, ascent (separate word)”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Aliyah, Aliya, Aleah, Alia.
See also: Arabic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Aaliyah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'عال', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Aaliyah (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Alliyah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,340 | 18 |
| 2020 | #4,651 | 28 |
| 2010 | #1,795 | 114 |
| 2000 | #1,336 | 141 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Alliyah, counting every spelling?
Alliyah is a spelling of Aaliyah, a name family that ranked #106 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #6,340 for Alliyah on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,000 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaliyah | 2,607 | #101 | 15,082 |
| Aliya | 330 | #823 | 1,650 |
| Aaliya | 45 | #3,389 | 244 |
| Alliyah | 18 | #6,340 | 95 |
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 Alliyah?
18 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alliyah (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Alliyah 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 465 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alliyah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alliyah?
About 3,000 people born in the US named Alliyah are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 16 and 27. That makes Alliyah mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alliyah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alliyah, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Alliyah
What does Alliyah mean?
Alliyah is a spelling of Aaliyah, which means “high, exalted” (Arabic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Alliyah?
Alliyah was the 6340th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 1169th; the most babies were born in 2002 (173). Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,602 places. More babies were named Alliyah in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Alliyah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Alliyah in the US.