Uriah
Uriah was the 650th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 427 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 505th with 559 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 73 places. More babies were named Uriah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning God is my light (biblical) · Hebrew
Say it yoo-RYE-uh /jʊˈraɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #650 boys, down 13 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 427boys
- Girls and boys
- 6% girls, 94% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2014559 babies
- Total since 1880
- 12,992babies recorded
What does the name Uriah mean?
Uriah is a Hebrew name meaning "God is my light," as DMNES and Wiktionary agree, from ur, light or flame, and Yah, God. Its best-known bearer is Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba's husband, whom King David sent to his death (2 Samuel 11). DMNES notes that in England the name was used only in the second half of the 16th century. Uriah has been used in the US since 1880.
אוּרִיָּה (Biblical Hebrew, “God is my light”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Uriel, Urias.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean light.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Uriah', DMNES (Durham University)
- 2 Samuel 11:3, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
- Wiktionary, entry 'Uriah' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Uriah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,657 | #650 | 30 | 427 |
| 2020 | #5,155 | #637 | 25 | 421 |
| 2010 | #5,403 | #547 | 26 | 462 |
| 2000 | #3,732 | #1,034 | 35 | 142 |
| 1990 | — | #1,237 | — | 80 |
| 1980 | — | #922 | — | 94 |
| 1970 | — | #3,268 | — | 10 |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | #2,770 | — | 10 |
| 1920 | — | #2,123 | — | 16 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | #735 | — | 9 |
| 1880 | — | #634 | — | 10 |
How popular is Uriah, counting every spelling?
Uriah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #634 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #650 for Uriah on its own. Together these spellings went to 433 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uriah | 427 | #650 | 2,000 |
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 Uriah?
427 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Uriah (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Uriah 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 20 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Uriah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Uriah?
About 11,500 people born in the US named Uriah are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 8 and 23. That makes Uriah 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.
Uriah by state
How common Uriah was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (6.0×), Oregon (2.6×), Indiana (1.9×), Arizona (1.7×), Colorado (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Uriah: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Uriah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Uriah · Sibling names for Uriah
Questions about the name Uriah
What does Uriah mean?
Uriah means “God is my light (biblical)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Uriah?
Uriah was the 650th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 427 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 505th with 559 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 73 places. More babies were named Uriah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Uriah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 6% girls, 94% boys given the name Uriah in the US.
Where is Uriah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Uriah was most common in New Mexico (1.40 per 1,000 boys), followed by Hawaii and Oregon.