Alaia
Girl name · #117 in 2025 · Uniqueness 44/100
In 2025, 2,318 baby girls were named Alaia, placing it at #117 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #664, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 777 girls born in 2025 was named Alaia.
The 39-year story
Alaia first appears in the Social Security records in 1986, when 6 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2024, with 2,429 babies and a rank of #112. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Alaia per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Alaia against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Alaia in class?
Alaia scores 44 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Alaia is most common
Geography matters for names, and Alaia is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Alaias were TX (344), CA (336), FL (252), NY (201), NJ (98). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Alaia
Statistically, parents drawn to Alaia tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Kaia, Amara, Magnolia, Amira, and Aitana.
KaiaAmaraMagnoliaAmiraAitanaAmoraAloraAlessia
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Alaia | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,318 | #117 |
| 2024 | 2,429 | #112 |
| 2023 | 2,305 | #120 |
| 2022 | 2,081 | #139 |
| 2021 | 2,219 | #128 |
| 2020 | 2,282 | #120 |
| 2019 | 1,604 | #184 |
| 2018 | 527 | #583 |
| 2017 | 461 | #637 |
| 2016 | 487 | #615 |
| 2015 | 429 | #664 |
| 2014 | 66 | #2648 |
| 2013 | 55 | #3005 |
| 2012 | 54 | #3094 |
| 2011 | 46 | #3452 |
| 2010 | 41 | #3745 |
| 2009 | 44 | #3619 |
| 2008 | 37 | #4179 |
| 2007 | 36 | #4213 |
| 2006 | 18 | #6840 |
| 2005 | 26 | #4958 |
| 2004 | 18 | #6489 |
| 2003 | 12 | #8505 |
| 2002 | 8 | #11108 |
| 2001 | 17 | #6322 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Alaia a popular girl name?
Alaia ranked #117 among girls in 2025 with 2,318 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #664.
When was the name Alaia most popular?
Alaia peaked in 2024, when 2,429 American girls received the name (ranked #112 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Alaia?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 777 newborn American girls was named Alaia. It scores 44/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.