NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Aalayah

Rising, ascending, one who is exalted or elevated.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Aalayah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Aalayah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2574, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2020, with 13 births.

This profile covers 139 England and Wales registrations across 18 recorded years from 2003 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 77% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 141 living people in the UK are called Aalayah. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Aalayah ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2020, when 13 girls were registered as Aalayah.
  • Aalayah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #792 in 2021.
  • About 141 living people in the UK are estimated to have Aalayah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2574

2024

Births in 2024

10

Latest year

Peak year

2020

13 births

Estimated living

141

2026

Meaning

What does Aalayah mean?

The name Aalayah is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "ālayah," which means "rising" or "ascending." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the early centuries of Islam, when Arabic names gained popularity across the region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aalayah can be found in a historical text from the 9th century, where it was mentioned as the name of a young girl from a noble family in Damascus. This text provides valuable insight into the cultural significance and usage of the name during that era.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Aalayah. One such individual was Aalayah bint Zaid (920-985), a renowned scholar and poet from Baghdad. She was known for her contributions to Arabic literature and her expertise in various fields, including grammar and rhetoric.

Another prominent figure was Aalayah al-Andalusi (1050-1120), a philosopher and mathematician from Cordoba, Spain. She made significant contributions to the development of algebra and wrote several treatises on mathematics and astronomy, which were widely studied in the Islamic world.

In the 13th century, Aalayah al-Qurashi (1210-1273) was a revered Sufi mystic and spiritual leader from Mecca. Her teachings and writings on Islamic mysticism had a profound influence on the Sufi movement and attracted followers from various parts of the Islamic world.

Aalayah al-Dimashqi (1330-1402) was a celebrated calligrapher and artist from Damascus. Her intricate and beautiful calligraphic works adorned many mosques and palaces in the region, and she is regarded as one of the most skilled calligraphers of her time.

In more recent centuries, Aalayah al-Baghdadi (1750-1820) was a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist from Baghdad. She was renowned for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her contributions to the interpretation of religious texts, earning her a respected position among the religious authorities of her time.

These examples demonstrate the rich history and cultural significance of the name Aalayah, which has been borne by notable figures across various fields, including literature, science, religion, and art, throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Aalayah over time

The chart below shows babies named Aalayah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2003 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Aalayah, the clearest high point is 2020. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 13 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Aalayah
0371013200320132024

Decades

Aalayah by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Aalayah was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #2442 53 5
2010s #3341 74 10
2000s #3986 12 3

Geography

Where Aalayah is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Aalayah. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Aalayah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #792 in 2021.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Aalayah in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#792 in 2021

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Related

Names similar to Aalayah

FAQ

Aalayah: questions and answers

How popular is the name Aalayah in the UK right now?

In 2024, Aalayah was ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.

When was Aalayah most popular?

The peak year on record was 2020, with 13 babies registered as Aalayah in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Aalayah?

Rising, ascending, one who is exalted or elevated.

How many people are called Aalayah in the UK?

A total of 139 babies have been registered as Aalayah across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Aalayah most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Aalayah ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #792 in 2021. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.