Girls' name · peaked in 2012
Aaliyah name popularity since 1925
110,077 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Aaliyah. Half of them were born in 2012 or earlier, so the typical Aaliyah is about 14 years old in 2026. Aaliyah peaked in 2012 as the #36 name for girls, and it ranked #101 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 110,077
- Named Aaliyah, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #101
- for girls in 2025 (2,607 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.9% girls
- 109,971 girls · 106 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 2.90× its national share
Peak year is the year Aaliyah made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Aaliyah births per year, 1925–2025
2012 was the biggest year for Aaliyah both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1996 and 2001, Aaliyah became 3.9× more common, from 1 in 2,110 baby girls to 1 in 537.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Aaliyah's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Aaliyah.
Decade by decade
Babies named Aaliyah in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1970s | 142 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1980s | 209 | 0 | #6,457 |
| 1990s | 7,839 | 11 | #225 |
| 2000s | 36,381 | 43 | #93 |
| 2010s | 46,734 | 47 | #47 |
| 2020–25 | 18,666 | 5 | #101 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000. "Under 5" means fewer than 5 girls got the name.
Generation fingerprint
50.9% of babies named Aaliyah from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Aaliyah is most popular
The index compares Aaliyah's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Aaliyah.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 2.90× | 1,142 |
| New Mexico | 2.02× | 1,234 |
| Florida | 1.96× | 7,834 |
| Arizona | 1.93× | 2,763 |
| Delaware | 1.49× | 341 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Aaliyah and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Aaliyah (this page) | 109,971 | 2012 |
| Aliyah | 49,011 | 2011 |
| Alliyah | 3,013 | 2002 |
| Aaliya | 1,571 | 2013 |
| Aaleyah | 1,441 | 2015 |
| Aalayah | 1,276 | 2019 |
| Aaliah | 1,039 | 2010 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Aaliyah's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Aaliyah.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Aaliyah (2012).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data