NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Maiyah

An Arabic name meaning "resilient", "steadfast", or "full of life".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Maiyah is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Maiyah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4056, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 8 births.

This profile covers 54 England and Wales registrations across 13 recorded years from 2009 to 2023. 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 63% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 54 living people in the UK are called Maiyah. 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 2024 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Maiyah ranked #4056 for girls in England and Wales in 2023, with 5 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2016, when 8 girls were registered as Maiyah.
  • About 54 living people in the UK are estimated to have Maiyah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4056

2023

Births in 2023

5

Latest year

Peak year

2016

8 births

Estimated living

54

2026

Meaning

What does Maiyah mean?

The name Maiyah is thought to have its origins in Arabic culture, deriving from the word "maya" which means "water" or "life-giving waters." It is believed to have originated sometime in the medieval period, when Arabic names and influences spread across regions like the Middle East and North Africa.

In some historical Islamic texts, the name Maiyah is referenced as a term used to describe a pure, flowing spring or source of water. This connection to water and life-sustaining elements likely contributed to the name's adoption as a given name for girls.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Maiyah dates back to the 13th century, when a Persian poet named Maiyah al-Din wrote a collection of works celebrating the beauty of nature and the divine. Although little is known about her life, her writings remain an important part of the literary canon from that era.

In the 15th century, there are records of a Maiyah bint Abdullah, a respected scholar and teacher from the city of Fez in present-day Morocco. She is known for her contributions to the study of Islamic jurisprudence and her teachings on the principles of the Maliki school of Islamic thought.

During the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, a woman named Maiyah Hatun was a prominent figure in the imperial court. She was a talented calligrapher and artist, and her works adorned many of the grand mosques and palaces of the time.

In more recent history, Maiyah al-Qaddafi was the second wife of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Born in 1952, she played an influential role in Libyan politics and was known for her charitable work and advocacy for women's rights in the country.

Another notable figure with the name Maiyah is Maiyah Syahidah Binti Saiful Arif, a Malaysian professional golfer born in 1993. She has won several tournaments on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and represented her country in international competitions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Maiyah over time

The chart below shows babies named Maiyah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2009 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Maiyah, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2023, compared with 8 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Maiyah
02468200920162023

Decades

Maiyah by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Maiyah 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 #4724 12 3
2010s #4995 37 9
2000s #3936 5 1

Related

Names similar to Maiyah

FAQ

Maiyah: questions and answers

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

In 2023, Maiyah was ranked #4056 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.

When was Maiyah most popular?

The peak year on record was 2016, with 8 babies registered as Maiyah in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Maiyah?

An Arabic name meaning "resilient", "steadfast", or "full of life".

How many people are called Maiyah in the UK?

A total of 54 babies have been registered as Maiyah across the 13 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.