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.
- #5,912 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,722 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,420
- born since 1916
- 2010s
- peak decade
1,420 babies have been named Nilah since 1916, making it today's #3722 girls' name.
Nilah has 1,420 recorded births among girls since 1916, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3722 as of the latest data, more common than 78% 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.
- #5,912 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,722 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,420 born since 1916
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nilah ranks #5,912 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,722 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,420 born since 1916, peaking in the 2010s.
- #5,912 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,722 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,420
- born since 1916
- 2010s
- peak decade
Nilah's 1,420 recorded births place it above 91.82% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
16 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nilah compares
1,420 Top 27% higher than 73% 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
Nilah's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nilah | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,420 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 84 | 21 | 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 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
2010s is the heaviest window (710 births, 50% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Nilah sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nilah most popular? ▼
Where is Nilah most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nilah been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nilah? ▼
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
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
Compare Nilah side by side: Nilah vs Nila Nilah vs Nilda Nilah vs Nilsa
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nilah
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nilah: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2012)
Similar record span (~109 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, 1916–2025 (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 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 August 2026.