UK girl's name
Aliyah
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "rising" or "ascending".
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.
Aliyah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Aliyah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #280, with 160 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 284 births.
This profile covers 4,805 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 56% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 5,039 living people in the UK are called Aliyah. 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
- • Aliyah ranked #280 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 160 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2004, when 284 girls were registered as Aliyah.
- • Aliyah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #315 in 2024.
- • About 5,039 living people in the UK are estimated to have Aliyah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#280
2024
Births in 2024
160
Latest year
Peak year
2004
284 births
Estimated living
5,039
2026
Meaning
What does Aliyah mean?
The name Aliyah has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, and can be traced back to ancient times. The word "aliyah" in Hebrew means "ascent" or "going up," and is often used to refer to the immigration of Jews to the land of Israel.
The earliest recorded use of the name Aliyah dates back to the biblical period, where it appears in the Book of Ezra as a reference to the return of Jews from Babylonian exile to Jerusalem. In this context, "aliyah" was used to describe the physical and spiritual journey of the Jewish people back to their homeland.
Throughout history, the name Aliyah has held significant meaning and symbolism within the Jewish faith. It has been associated with the concept of returning to one's roots and the ongoing connection between the Jewish diaspora and the land of Israel.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Aliyah was Aliyah bat Judah, a Jewish scholar and poet who lived in the 13th century. She was renowned for her literary works and contributions to Jewish scholarship during the Golden Age of Jewish culture in Spain.
Another notable figure bearing the name Aliyah was Aliyah Bet, a codeword used to refer to the illegal immigration of Jews to British-mandated Palestine in the 1930s and 1940s. This period marked a significant chapter in the history of the Jewish people's efforts to establish a homeland in modern-day Israel.
In more recent times, the name Aliyah has been carried by several prominent individuals, including Aliyah Diane King, an American actress and singer born in 1994, and Aliyah O'Brien, a Canadian basketball player born in 1996.
The name Aliyah continues to hold special significance within the Jewish community, symbolizing the deep-rooted connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel. Its rich historical meaning and cultural resonance have made it a popular choice for many families across generations.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Aliyah over time
The chart below shows babies named Aliyah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Aliyah, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 160 births in 2024, compared with 284 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aliyah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Aliyah 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 | #316 | 712 | 5 |
| 2010s | #288 | 1,687 | 10 |
| 2000s | #229 | 2,067 | 10 |
| 1990s | #389 | 339 | 4 |
Geography
Where Aliyah is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Aliyah. 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.
Aliyah ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #315 in 2024.
Across the UK
Aliyah in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#315 in 2024
24 years of NRS records, 207 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#418 in 2022
11 years of NISRA records, 54 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Aliyah
-
Aliyah Saleem
writer; human rights defender; women's rights activist; activist
author and secular activist
1989-
Related
Names similar to Aliyah
- Amelia 94,830
- Ava 54,556
- Amy 52,495
- Alice 46,815
- Abigail 45,658
- Amber 31,922
- Anna 27,802
- Alexandra 19,455
- Amelie 18,051
- Abbie 15,971
- Aimee 15,158
- Annabelle 15,120
FAQ
Aliyah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Aliyah in the UK right now?
In 2024, Aliyah was ranked #280 for girls in England and Wales, with 160 births registered.
When was Aliyah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2004, with 284 babies registered as Aliyah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Aliyah?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "rising" or "ascending".
How many people are called Aliyah in the UK?
A total of 4,805 babies have been registered as Aliyah across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 207 more in Scotland and 54 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Aliyah most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Aliyah ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #315 in 2024. 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.