Unisex name · since 1977
Nijah
1,219 babies named Nijah in U.S. Social Security records since 1977, with the highest year being 1998. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6,543 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 1,219
- born since 1977
- 2000s
- peak decade
Nijah is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 1,219 have been recorded since 1977.
Nijah has 1,219 recorded births among girls since 1977, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1977 to 2024.
- #6,543 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 1,219 born since 1977
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nijah ranks #6,543 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 1,219 born since 1977, peaking in the 2000s.
- #6,543 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 1,219
- born since 1977
- 2000s
- peak decade
Nijah's 1,219 recorded births place it above 90.95% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
15 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
Nijah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nijah's full recorded timeline at 2002, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1978, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 75 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nijah popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1977–2024
- Peak year (1998)
- 75
- Annual births at peak, across 48 years of records
Nijah popularity over time - boys
184 total births recorded since 1995 (Nijah as boys' name)
Nijah by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (531 births, 44% of the file).
2000s was Nijah's strongest decade.
531 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 44% of all-time use.
Nijah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 14
1970s
14 births
- 1980s 89
1980s
89 births
- 1990s
1990s
395 births
- 2000s
2000s
531 births
- 2010s 149
2010s
149 births
- 2020s 41
2020s
41 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 531 births (44% of all-time use).
How Nijah 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 Nijah's total volume
Nijah by state
Where Nijah concentrates geographically, total births since 1977
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 38 | 3.1% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 34 | 2.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 33 | 2.7% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 26 | 2.1% |
| #5 | Florida | | 21 | 1.7% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 17 | 1.4% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 17 | 1.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 15 | 1.2% |
38 of 1,219 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 15 reporting states.
Nijah appears in 15 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Nijah's data
- Nijah's decade-level peak was the 2000s (531 total births); usage has since declined to 41 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Nijahs (38 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nijah
Nearby Names Like Nijah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nijah
Compare Nijah side by side: Nijah vs Nija Nijah vs Nijae Nijah vs Nijha
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nijah: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~47 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, 1977–2024 (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 Nijah 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.