Given name & surname
Hayat
“a lively woman; giver of life”
Hayat is a variant of Hava. One Hebrew interpretation is “a lively woman; giver of life.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Hayat is a variant of Hava. One Hebrew interpretation is “a lively woman; giver of life.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Arabic حَيَاة (ḥayāh); its root is Arabic ح ي و.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1980. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hayat through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 850
- 0 boys · 850 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 60 babies
- 2025
- 60
- #2,833 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +26%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 60 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,833 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 26.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Minnesota had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,856 as a first name in 2020; 1,160 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Hayat
- Hayat SindiSaudi medical researcher and inventorborn 1967
- Hayat Al-FahadKuwaiti actress, broadcaster, writer and producer (born 1948)
- Hayat ToubalAlgerian chess playerborn 1985
- Hayat AlyaqoutKuwaiti writerborn 1981
- Hayat El GaraaMoroccan athletics competitorborn 1996
- Hayat Shararaauthor1935–1997
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hayat, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Safiya
“one who is pure” · “having the lion's share”
>99% girls
Marwa
Marwa is a feminine given name from Arabic.
>99% girls
Amatullah
Amatullah is a feminine given name from Arabic.
>99% girls
Adhara
>99% girls
Macarena
“blessed, happy”
>99% girls
Hadija
Hadija is a feminine given name from Arabic. It is used in French.
>99% girls
Nouri
Nouri is a surname from Persian.
25% boys · 75% girls
Hauwa
Hauwa is a feminine given name from Arabic. It is used in Hausa.
>99% girls