How Many People Are Named Alijah?
An estimated 14,860 people in the United States have the first name Alijah. It is predominantly male (90.4%). The average bearer is 13 years old, and Alijah peaked in popularity in 2021 with 792 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Alijah as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Alijah paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Alijah is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 13, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
14,860
About 1 in 23,066 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
90.4% confidence
Average Age
13
years old
Peak Year
2021
792 births
Total Registered
15,002
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Alijah
Alijah is predominantly male (90.4%), though 1,435 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Alijah as a male name
Ranked #430 in 2024
734 male births in 2024
Peak: 2021 (762 births)
Alijah as a female name
Ranked #5,606 in 2024
22 female births in 2024
Peak: 2001 (85 births)
Alijah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 8,737 people with the first name Alijah, which placed it at #2,687 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Alijah was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 8,737 people with this name in that snapshot, 88.7% were male and 11.3% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 90.4% of the time.
Census Count
8,737
people with this name
Census Rank
#2,687
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
2.89
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Alijah was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (43.21%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (25.02%) and White (15.50%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Alijah in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Alijah.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 43.21% | 3,775 |
| Hispanic | 25.02% | 2,186 |
| White | 15.50% | 1,354 |
| Two or More Races | 13.37% | 1,168 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.75% | 153 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.16% | 101 |
Alijah: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Alijah span from the 1980s to the 2020s, covering 5 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 6,312 babies were registered. While Alijah is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Alijah by Decade
How has Alijah tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Alijah by State
Birth registrations for Alijah span all 42 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Florida. The lowest are in Alaska, Delaware, District of Columbia. On average, about 302 Alijahs were registered per state.
Alijah + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Alijah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Alijah
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
Alijah: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alijah?
We estimate approximately 14,860 people named Alijah are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 23,066 Americans share this first name.
Is Alijah a common name?
Alijah is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.2% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 15,002 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Alijah most popular?
Alijah reached peak popularity in 2021, when 792 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Alijah is approximately 13 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Alijah in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 8,737 people with the first name Alijah. That placed it at #2,687 in the published Census first-name tables, or 2.89 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Alijah was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Alijah?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Alijah was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 88.7% male and 11.3% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Alijah?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Alijah was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (43.21%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (25.02%) and White (15.50%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Alijah a male name?
Alijah is predominantly male. 90.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Alijah have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Alijah peaked in 2021, and the average living bearer is about 13 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Alijah Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Alijah Smith, Alijah Johnson, Alijah Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me