UK boy's name
Urijah
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "YHWH (the LORD) is my light".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2016. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Urijah is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Urijah popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2016 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4810, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 3 births.
This profile covers 9 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2012 to 2016. 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 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 9 living people in the UK are called Urijah. 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 2017 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Urijah ranked #4810 for boys in England and Wales in 2016, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2012, when 3 boys were registered as Urijah.
- • About 9 living people in the UK are estimated to have Urijah as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4810
2016
Births in 2016
3
Latest year
Peak year
2012
3 births
Estimated living
9
2026
Meaning
What does Urijah mean?
The name Urijah is derived from the Hebrew name Uriyah, which means "the Lord is my light" or "flame of the Lord." This name has its origins in ancient Israel and the Middle Eastern region during biblical times.
The earliest recorded example of the name Urijah is found in the Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of a priest during the reign of King Ahaz in Judah, around the 8th century BCE. The book of Isaiah in the Old Testament refers to this Urijah the priest.
Another notable figure named Urijah in the Bible was a prophet from Kirjath-Jearim, mentioned in the book of Jeremiah. He was executed by King Jehoiakim of Judah for prophesying against the kingdom, around the 7th century BCE.
In the Apocryphal book of 2 Esdras, there is a reference to an Urijah who was one of the principal men who returned from the Babylonian captivity with Ezra the scribe, in the 5th century BCE.
Moving on to later historical records, Urijah was the name of a Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 11th century CE in Kairouan, Tunisia. He was known for his work on Hebrew grammar and his commentary on the Bible.
Another notable bearer of the name Urijah was a 17th-century English Puritan minister, Urijah Oakes, who served as the president of Harvard College from 1675 to 1681.
In more recent times, Urijah Faber was an American mixed martial artist and former WEC Featherweight Champion, born in 1979. He is considered one of the pioneers of the lighter weight classes in mixed martial arts.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Urijah over time
The chart below shows babies named Urijah registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2012 to 2016. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Urijah, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2016, compared with 3 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Urijah by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Urijah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4767 | 9 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Urijah
- Umar 4,932
- Usman 2,413
- Uzair 1,549
- Umair 1,044
- Uthman 531
- Usmaan 476
- Uwais 438
- Ubaid 383
- Umer 325
- Umut 303
- Uzayr 299
- Uriel 276
FAQ
Urijah: questions and answers
How popular is the name Urijah in the UK right now?
In 2016, Urijah was ranked #4810 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Urijah most popular?
The peak year on record was 2012, with 3 babies registered as Urijah in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Urijah?
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "YHWH (the LORD) is my light".
How many people are called Urijah in the UK?
A total of 9 babies have been registered as Urijah across the 3 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.