Rising since 1986, #823 for girls today.
Popularity of Aliya since 1971
Babies named Aliya per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 257 |
| 1980s | 391 |
| 1990s | 1,151 |
| 2000s | 3,764 |
| 2010s | 3,550 |
| 2020s | 1,962 |
Meaning & origin
Aliya entered U.S. birth records in 1971 and reached its peak popularity in 2012. Since the mid-1980s, its usage has been steadily rising. In 2025, it ranked #823, given to about 1 in 4,871 newborn girls. The name is most common in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and New York. As a feminine form of Ali, it carries a meaning of loftiness and is widely used across Arabic-speaking and Muslim communities, as well as in multicultural Western families.
Aliya is the feminine form of the Arabic name Ali, which derives from the root ʿ-l-w meaning 'high, exalted, sublime.' It is a common name throughout the Muslim world and has also been adopted in Western countries, often as a variant of Aaliyah.
Where Aliya is most popular
Births per 100,000 girls by state. Press play or drag the slider to watch it move across the decades. The lightest shade means too few recorded births.
“Aliya” around the world
Where Aliya lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
335
babies in 2024
Ireland
6
babies in 2025
Quebec
21
babies in 2025
Sources: INSEE (France) · CSO Ireland (Ireland) · Retraite Québec (Quebec).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Ali, Leah, Ya-Ya
Sibling names for Aliya
Names that share Aliya's style, for a brother or sister.
Names like Aliya
Names whose popularity has moved with Aliya's over the last 50 years.
