Alayah
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Meaning
probably a variant of Aaliyah, the feminine of Arabic Aali, "high, lofty, sublime"
The story
Alayah is probably a modern variant of Aaliyah. Aaliyah is the feminine of Arabic Aali, meaning "high", "lofty" or "sublime". Alayah may share that meaning through its likely connection with Aaliyah.
Singer Aaliyah Haughton helped popularize her own spelling, Aaliyah, in English-speaking use. On her album One in a Million, released in 1996, she worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on rhythm and blues that paired her controlled, layered singing with inventive beats.
Girls named Alayah appear in American records before the turn of the century, followed by a substantial increase in the 2010s. Whether the singer also influenced this spelling is uncertain.
How popular is Alayah around the world?
In the United States, 5,307 babies were named Alayah between 2020 and 2025. In Puerto Rico, 8 babies were named Alayah in 2025, and 19 have carried the name since 1998.
Alayah is on the official records of the United States, Puerto Rico, Scotland, England and Wales, Ireland and Canada.
United States
1 in 4,100
In the United States, 5,307 babies were named Alayah between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Alayah peaked in the 2020s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Puerto Rico
1 in 2,300
In Puerto Rico, 8 babies were named Alayah in 2025, and 19 have carried the name since 1998.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Scotland
1 in 4,600
In Scotland, 10 girls named Alayah were registered in 2024, the 333rd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
England and Wales
1 in 5,400
In England and Wales, 109 girls named Alayah were born in 2025, the 388th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Ireland
1 in 11,000
In Ireland, 5 girls named Alayah were born in 2025, the 608th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Canada
1 in 13,000
In Canada, 28 girls named Alayah were born in 2024, the 963rd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Argentina
last on record 2023
Alayah is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Austria
last on record 2022
Alayah is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
South Australia
last on record 2015
Alayah is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, New Zealand and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Alayah
Most people given the name Alayah in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Alayah deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Alayah truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Alayah fits with your family’s names and surname.
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