Girls' name · since 1994
Aalyah
Aalyah has 738 recorded births since 1994 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2002 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #9,214 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,336 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 738
- born since 1994
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Aalyah is the #11336 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 738 recorded since 1994.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Aalyah has been recorded 738 times among girls since 1994, currently ranked #11336 nationally and more common than 34% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1994 to 2025.
- #9,214 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #11,336 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 738 born since 1994
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Aalyah ranks #9,214 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #11,336 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 738 born since 1994, peaking in the 2000s.
- #9,214 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,336 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 738
- born since 1994
- 2000s
- peak decade
Aalyah's 738 recorded births place it above 87.25% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Aalyah compares
738 Top 38% higher than 62% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Aalyah's all-time total is 96% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Aalyah | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 738 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 51 | 21 | 19,840 |
Aalyah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Aalyah's full recorded timeline at 2010, 38% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 62% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2019, with just 7 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2002 peak of 51 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Aalyah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1994–2025
- Peak year (2002)
- 51
- Annual births at peak, across 32 years of records
Aalyah by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (375 births, 51% of the file).
2000s was Aalyah's strongest decade.
375 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 51% of all-time use.
Aalyah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s 83
1990s
83 births
- 2000s
2000s
375 births
- 2010s
2010s
200 births
- 2020s 80
2020s
80 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 375 births (51% of all-time use).
How Aalyah compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Aalyah's total volume
Aalyah by state
Where Aalyah concentrates geographically, total births since 1994
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 131 | 17.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 56 | 7.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 5 | 0.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 5 | 0.7% |
131 of 738 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where does Aalyah sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Aalyah most popular? ▼
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How long has the name Aalyah been used? ▼
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What to do with Aalyah's data
- Aalyah's decade-level peak was the 2000s (375 total births); usage has since declined to 80 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Aalyahs (131 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Aalyah
Nearby Names Like Aalyah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Aalyah
Compare Aalyah side by side: Aalyah vs Aaliyah Aalyah vs Aaliya Aalyah vs Aaleyah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Aalyah
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Aalyah: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2002)
Similar record span (~31 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1994–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Aalyah draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.