girl's name
Aliyah
ah-LEE-ah
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 65,149
the United States
#263
2025 births
Aliyah is a girl's name of Hebrew and Arabic origin meaning "ascent" or "exalted," and the two languages arrived at it separately from cognate roots. It ranks 120th in France and 263rd in the United States.
- Aliyah is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2011, when 2,301 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,791 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1971.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Aliyah over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 52 |
| 1980s | 283 |
| 1990s | 5,049 |
| 2000s | 15,347 |
| 2010s | 20,188 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,135 |
What Aliyah means
Aliyah means ascent in Hebrew and exalted or sublime in Arabic. The two are close in sense and unrelated in descent — Hebrew builds it on alah, to go up, and Arabic on ala, to be high.
Where Aliyah comes from
Aliyah reaches modern use from two Semitic languages independently. In Hebrew, aliyah is the noun for going up: it names the migration of Jews to Israel, and separately the honor of being called up to read the Torah. In Arabic, Aliyah is the feminine of Ali, exalted or lofty, one of the names of God and the name of the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law. The roots are cognate at a deep Semitic level but the two names entered European use down separate lines and neither borrowed from the other. English-language use owes a great deal to the singer Aaliyah, whose death in 2001 at twenty-two pushed her spelling — with the doubled a — sharply up the American charts. French registers hold Aliyah, Aaliyah, Alya and Aliya as distinct entries.
Aliyah in use
Aliyah ranks 120th in France with about 425 births in 2025 and 263rd in the United States with 1,188 births, its largest market. Our records mark it stable with a peak in 2011 and carry it from 1971. It appears in every market we hold except Northern Ireland, which is unusual for a name of this size, and it reads as Hebrew, Arabic or simply modern depending entirely on the family using it.
How popular is Aliyah?
In 2025, Aliyah was given to 1,188 babies in the United States, ranking #263 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Aliyah is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Aliyah is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Alïyah | Alïyah is a rare spelling of Aliyah, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 15 times, mostly in France. | 15 |
Names that peaked alongside Aliyah
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Aliyah also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Aliyah over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Aliyah in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Kazakh
- Aliya
Sibling names for Aliyah
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Aliyah — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Aliyah
What does the name Aliyah mean?
Ascent in Hebrew, exalted in Arabic. The two languages arrived at it separately.
Is Aliyah Hebrew or Arabic?
Both, from cognate but separate roots — Hebrew alah, to go up, and Arabic ala, to be high.
What is the difference between Aliyah and Aaliyah?
Spelling. Aaliyah rose sharply in the United States after the singer's death in 2001.
How popular is Aliyah?
120th in France and 263rd in the United States.
Is Aliyah a girl's or a boy's name?
Aliyah is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Aliyah?
Aliyah has 3 syllables.
Is Aliyah a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Aliyah currently ranks #120 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.