Total births
4,848
Girls' name · since 1971
Nailah
Nailah has 4,848 recorded births since 1971 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2018 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1805
- among girls today
- 4,848
- born since 1971
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 90%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Nailah is the #1805 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 4,848 recorded since 1971.
Nailah has 4,848 recorded births among girls since 1971, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1805 as of the latest data, more common than 90% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1971 to 2025.
- #1805 among girls today
- 4,848 born since 1971
- 2010s peak decade
- 90% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Nailah is currently the #1805 girls' name in America, more common than 90% of girls - 4,848 born since 1971, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1805
- among girls today
- 4,848
- born since 1971
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 90%
- more common than other girls
Nailah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1805
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 90% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
38% of everyone ever named Nailah was born in this single decade.
2018
Single peak year
256 babies were named Nailah in 2018 - its busiest year on record.
How Nailah compares
4,848 Top 13% higher than 87% of 17,726 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
Nailah's all-time total is 13x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nailah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,848 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 256 | 48 | 19,840 |
Nailah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nailah splits its recorded history at 1998: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1971 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2018 peak of 256 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nailah at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2018
Current rank
#1,805
Active since
1971
Nailah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2025
- Peak year (2018)
- 256
- Annual births at peak, across 55 years of records
Nailah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Nailah's strongest decade.
1,866 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Nailah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 138
1970s
138 births
- 1980s 206
1980s
206 births
- 1990s 592
1990s
592 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,212 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,866 births
- 2020s
2020s
834 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 1,866 births (38% of all-time use).
How Nailah 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 Nailah's total volume
Nailah vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Nailah by state
Where Nailah concentrates geographically, total births since 1971
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 615 | 12.7% |
| #2 | California | | 570 | 11.8% |
| #3 | Florida | | 346 | 7.1% |
| #4 | Texas | | 326 | 6.7% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 274 | 5.7% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 170 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 165 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 159 | 3.3% |
New York share of Nailah's total US births 12.7%
Even split
615 of 4,848 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.
Nailah appears in 25 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nailah? ▼
Nailah has been given to 4,848 babies in the U.S. since 1971, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1805 as of the latest data. 256 babies were born in 2018, its single highest year.
When was Nailah most popular? ▼
Nailah was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,866 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Nailah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nailah are New York (615 births), California (570 births), Florida (346 births).
How long has the name Nailah been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Nailah since 1971 -- 55 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Nailah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Naima, Naila, Naia, Naida, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Nailah's data
- Nailah's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (1,866 total births) through the 2020s (834) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Nailahs (615 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nailah
Nearby Names Like Nailah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nailah
Naima Girl
#2189 4,757 births
Naila Girl
#1462 3,235 births
Naia Girl
#1850 2,228 births
Naida Girl
1,714 births
Naimah Girl
#6729 1,660 births
Compare Nailah side by side: Nailah vs Naima Nailah vs Naila Nailah vs Naia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nailah
Lucianna #1804
1,961 births · Peak 2024
Dayanna #1806
3,916 births · Peak 2009
Shayla #1803
30,933 births · Peak 1999
Nahomi #1807
1,912 births · Peak 2024
Stormy #1802
7,709 births · Peak 1992
Lennyn #1808
809 births · Peak 2025
Aviva #1801
3,685 births · Peak 2025
Rumani #1809
300 births · Peak 2024
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1971–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nailah: #1805 Girls' Name - 4,848 Births, Peak 2018." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nailah. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Nailah 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 June 2026.