girl's name
Ayah
AY-a
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 10,419
the United States
#870
2025 births
Ayah is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "sign" or "miracle." It is also the word for a single verse of the Quran — each verse being understood as a sign from God.
- Ayah is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2025, when 309 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,559 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1986.
Ayah over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1980s to 2020s. Ayah is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 26 |
| 1990s | 468 |
| 2000s | 1,237 |
| 2010s | 1,534 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,549 |
What Ayah means
Ayah means a sign, a marvel or a miracle. In religious usage it names a verse of the Quran, on the understanding that each verse is itself evidence of God.
Where Ayah comes from
Ayah comes from the Arabic āya, meaning a sign, mark or miracle. In Islamic terminology it is the standard word for a verse of the Quran — the Quran contains over six thousand ayat — because scripture is regarded as a sign of God in the same way the natural world is. The word appears in the Quran in both senses. A separate and unrelated English word ayah, meaning a nursemaid in colonial India, comes from the Portuguese aia and is not the source of the name.
Ayah in use
Our data shows Ayah peaking in 2025 and still rising, at 147 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1986. It sits alongside Ayla, Aya and Ayra in our data — a cluster of short Arabic-origin names climbing together in Britain, though with entirely separate roots.
How popular is Ayah?
In 2025, Ayah was given to 338 babies in England and Wales, ranking #147 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Ayah is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Ayah
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ayah also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ayah over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Ayah 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.
Sibling names for Ayah
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ayah — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ayah
What does the name Ayah mean?
Ayah means "sign" or "miracle," from the Arabic āya.
What is an ayah in the Quran?
A single verse. The word means sign, because each verse is understood as evidence of God.
Is Ayah related to the colonial word for a nursemaid?
No. That word comes from the Portuguese aia and is unconnected to the Arabic name.
How popular is the name Ayah?
In 2025, Ayah was given to 338 babies in England and Wales, ranking #147 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Ayah a girl's or a boy's name?
Ayah is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Ayah most popular?
Ayah peaked in 2025, when 309 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Ayah a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ayah currently ranks #147 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.