Given name
Aaliyah
Aaliyah is a variant of Aliyah. One Arabic interpretation is “an ascender; one having the highest social standing.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Aaliyah is a variant of Aliyah. One Arabic interpretation is “an ascender; one having the highest social standing.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Aaliyah is a variant of Aliyah. An origin associated with Aliyah is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
A transliteration of Arabic عَالِيَة; its root is Arabic ع ل ي.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1976. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Aaliyah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 110,077
- 106 boys · 109,971 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 5,530 babies
- 2025
- 2,607
- #101 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,607 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 101 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 24.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 5,523 in 2012. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (442). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 69,241 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Aaliyah’s family of names
Aaliyah has a related form in Aliyah. In English usage, Aaliyah has a related form in Aliyah. In English usage, Aaliyah has a related form in Alia.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Aaliyah
- AaliyahAmerican R&B singer (1979–2001)
- Aaliyah ButlerAmerican athlete (born 2003)
- Aaliyah BrownAmerican athleteborn 1995
- Aaliyah EdwardsCanadian basketball player (born 2002)
- Aaliyah PowellBritish taekwondo practitionerborn 2002
- Aaliyah WilsonAmerican basketball player (born 1998)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Aaliyah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Ariyah
Ariyah is a feminine given name.
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Arya
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Alaya
Alaya is a feminine given name.
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Arianna
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Alayah is a feminine given name.
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Aleeyah
>99% girls