Yahya
Yahya was the 616th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 455 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 366 places. More babies were named Yahya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Arabic name of John the Baptist · Arabic
Say it YAH-yah /ˈjɑjɑ/
- Rank in 2025
- #616 boys, up 390 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 455boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025455 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,582babies recorded
What does the name Yahya mean?
Yahya is the Arabic name of the prophet known in the Christian tradition as John the Baptist. In Arabic the form looks like the verb yaḥyā 'he lives', and the Quran says that no one had borne the name before him (Quran 19:7). Scholars debate whether it began as an Arabic adaptation of the Christian Aramaic form of John (Hebrew Yoḥanan 'YHWH is gracious') or was understood from the start as 'he lives'. It is widely used in the Muslim world.
يَحْيَى (Yaḥyā) (Arabic, “John (the Baptist); 'he lives'”)
How sure is this? Probable. Its exact relationship to Hebrew Yoḥanan is debated.
Related names: John, Yohanan, Johannes.
See also: Arabic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Yahya', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Quran 19:7 (Surah Maryam), Sahih International translation, Quran.com
- Wiktionary, entry 'John', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Yahya popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 6 since 2011.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #616 | 455 |
| 2020 | #1,006 | 210 |
| 2010 | #1,461 | 113 |
| 2000 | #2,296 | 43 |
| 1990 | #7,165 | 7 |
| 1980 | #4,930 | 8 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Yahya, counting every spelling?
Yahya is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #608 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #616 for Yahya on its own. Together these spellings went to 455 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yahya | 455 | #616 | 1,537 |
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 Yahya?
455 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Yahya (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Yahya 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 18 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Yahya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Yahya?
About 4,500 people born in the US named Yahya are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 15. That makes Yahya 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.
Yahya by state
How common Yahya was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (5.7×), Illinois (2.7×), New York (2.2×), Virginia (2.2×), Michigan (2.1×). In 29 states fewer than five boys 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 Yahya: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Yahya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Yahya · Sibling names for Yahya
Questions about the name Yahya
What does Yahya mean?
Yahya means “Arabic name of John the Baptist” (Arabic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Yahya?
Yahya was the 616th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 455 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 366 places. More babies were named Yahya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Yahya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Yahya in the US.
Where is Yahya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Yahya was most common in Minnesota (1.01 per 1,000 boys), followed by Illinois and New York.