Total births
1,420
Girls' name · since 1916
Nilah
1,420 babies named Nilah in U.S. Social Security records since 1916, with the highest year being 2012. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4578
- among girls today
- 1,420
- born since 1916
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other girls
1,420 babies have been named Nilah since 1916, making it today's #4578 girls' name.
Nilah has 1,420 recorded births among girls since 1916, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4578 as of the latest data, more common than 74% 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 1916 to 2025.
- #4578 among girls today
- 1,420 born since 1916
- 2010s peak decade
- 74% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Nilah is currently the #4578 girls' name in America, more common than 74% of girls - 1,420 born since 1916, peaking in the 2010s.
- #4578
- among girls today
- 1,420
- born since 1916
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other girls
Nilah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#4578
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 74% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
50% of everyone ever named Nilah was born in this single decade.
2012
Single peak year
84 babies were named Nilah in 2012 - its busiest year on record.
How Nilah compares
1,420 Top 26% higher than 74% 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
Nilah's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nilah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,420 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 84 | 48 | 19,840 |
Nilah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nilah splits its recorded history at 2001: 88% of all births land in the more recent half, 12% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1920 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2012 peak of 84 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nilah at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2012
Current rank
#4,578
Active since
1916
Nilah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1916–2025
- Peak year (2012)
- 84
- Annual births at peak, across 110 years of records
Nilah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Nilah's strongest decade.
710 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 50% of all-time use.
Nilah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 19
1910s
19 births
- 1920s 55
1920s
55 births
- 1930s 44
1930s
44 births
- 1940s 7
1940s
7 births
- 1990s 25
1990s
25 births
- 2000s
2000s
303 births
- 2010s
2010s
710 births
- 2020s 257
2020s
257 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 710 births (50% of all-time use).
How Nilah 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 Nilah's total volume
Nilah vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Nilah by state
Where Nilah concentrates geographically, total births since 1916
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 69 | 4.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 69 | 4.9% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 39 | 2.7% |
| #4 | Florida | | 38 | 2.7% |
| #5 | Texas | | 35 | 2.5% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 22 | 1.5% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 21 | 1.5% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 16 | 1.1% |
California share of Nilah's total US births 4.9%
Even split
69 of 1,420 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Nilah appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nilah? ▼
Since 1916, Social Security records show 1,420 babies named Nilah. Today it holds rank #4578 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2012, with 84 births.
When was Nilah most popular? ▼
Nilah was most popular in the 2010s decade with 710 total births. The single peak year was 2012.
Where is Nilah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nilah are California (69 births), New York (69 births), North Carolina (39 births).
How long has the name Nilah been used? ▼
Records for Nilah go back to 1916, giving 110 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Nilah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nila, Nilda, Nilsa, Nile, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Nilah's data
- Nilah's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (710 total births) through the 2020s (257) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Nilahs (69 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Nilah
Nearby Names Like Nilah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nilah
Nila Girl
#1676 7,136 births
Nilda Girl
3,244 births
Nilsa Girl
#11254 1,809 births
Nile Girl
#9734 370 births
Nili Girl
#6238 266 births
Compare Nilah side by side: Nilah vs Nila Nilah vs Nilda Nilah vs Nilsa
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nilah
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, 1916–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nilah: #4578 Girls' Name - 1,420 Births, Peak 2012." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nilah. 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 Nilah 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.