Yahya
Boy name · #616 in 2025 · Uniqueness 28/100
Yahya ranks #616 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 455 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #977, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 3,956 boys born in 2025 was named Yahya.
Babies named Yahya per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 53-year story
Yahya first appears in the Social Security records in 1972, when 7 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 455 babies and a rank of #615. 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.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Yahya against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Yahya in class?
Yahya scores 28 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "popular" band. A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Yahya is most common
Geography matters for names, and Yahya is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Yahyas were NY (52), TX (50), CA (48), IL (41), MN (30). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Yahya
Statistically, parents drawn to Yahya tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Yehuda, Yeshua, Shaya, Yusuf, and Hamza.
YehudaYeshuaShayaYusufHamzaYosefMusaAgastya
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Yahya | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 455 | #615 |
| 2024 | 379 | #707 |
| 2023 | 265 | #881 |
| 2022 | 243 | #940 |
| 2021 | 195 | #1085 |
| 2020 | 210 | #1005 |
| 2019 | 226 | #949 |
| 2018 | 202 | #1018 |
| 2017 | 230 | #920 |
| 2016 | 224 | #935 |
| 2015 | 211 | #977 |
| 2014 | 167 | #1137 |
| 2013 | 173 | #1080 |
| 2012 | 158 | #1155 |
| 2011 | 130 | #1309 |
| 2010 | 113 | #1456 |
| 2009 | 133 | #1309 |
| 2008 | 94 | #1639 |
| 2007 | 90 | #1681 |
| 2006 | 80 | #1738 |
| 2005 | 67 | #1889 |
| 2004 | 55 | #2131 |
| 2003 | 47 | #2269 |
| 2002 | 35 | #2685 |
| 2001 | 56 | #1935 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Yahya a popular boy name?
Yahya ranked #616 among boys in 2025 with 455 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #977.
When was the name Yahya most popular?
Yahya peaked in 2025, when 455 American boys received the name (ranked #615 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Yahya?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 3,956 newborn American boys was named Yahya. It scores 28/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "popular".
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.