NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Kaiyah

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "beautiful, sublime".

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.

Kaiyah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kaiyah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4843, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2017, with 12 births.

This profile covers 111 England and Wales registrations across 17 recorded years from 2006 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 33% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 110 living people in the UK are called Kaiyah. 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

  • Kaiyah ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2017, when 12 girls were registered as Kaiyah.
  • About 110 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kaiyah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4843

2024

Births in 2024

4

Latest year

Peak year

2017

12 births

Estimated living

110

2026

Meaning

What does Kaiyah mean?

The name Kaiyah is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, where it is derived from the word "qawiyah," meaning "strong" or "powerful." This name has been in use since ancient times, particularly in regions with strong Islamic cultural influences.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaiyah can be traced back to the 8th century CE, when a renowned female scholar and poet, Kaiyah bint al-Walid, lived in Basra, Iraq. She was highly regarded for her expertise in literature and Arabic grammar, and her works have been preserved in various historical texts.

In the 11th century CE, a prominent figure named Kaiyah al-Andalusi made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and astronomy. Born in Cordoba, Spain, she was part of the Golden Age of Islamic culture and played a crucial role in advancing scientific knowledge during that era.

Moving forward in time, the name Kaiyah gained popularity in the Ottoman Empire, where it was associated with strength and resilience. One notable individual was Kaiyah Sultan, the daughter of Sultan Mehmed IV, who lived in the 17th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and architecture.

Another historical figure bearing the name Kaiyah was Kaiyah bint Ibrahim, a 19th-century scholar and poet from the Arabian Peninsula. She gained recognition for her influential works on Islamic theology and her advocacy for women's education.

In more recent times, Kaiyah Tahir, born in 1935 in Pakistan, made significant contributions to the field of literature and was awarded the prestigious Pride of Performance award by the Pakistani government for her literary achievements.

While the name Kaiyah has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and is now used by families across various regions and ethnicities, each bringing their own unique cultural interpretations and associations to the name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Kaiyah over time

The chart below shows babies named Kaiyah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2006 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 Kaiyah, the clearest high point is 2017. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 12 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Kaiyah
036912200620152024

Decades

Kaiyah by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kaiyah 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 #4013 28 5
2010s #3557 61 9
2000s #3060 22 3

Related

Names similar to Kaiyah

FAQ

Kaiyah: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Kaiyah was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Kaiyah most popular?

The peak year on record was 2017, with 12 babies registered as Kaiyah in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Kaiyah?

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "beautiful, sublime".

How many people are called Kaiyah in the UK?

A total of 111 babies have been registered as Kaiyah across the 17 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

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.