How to say it
aa · LI · yah
/əˈli.ə/
Feminine
Aaliyah
Exalted, sublime
What it means
Arabic ʿālīyah, feminine of ʿālī ('high, exalted, sublime'). Also a Hebrew word (aliyah) for the immigration of Jews to Israel ('ascent'). The R&B singer Aaliyah anchored the name in the 1990s and 2000s.
Aaliyah comes from the Arabic ʿālīyah ('high, exalted, sublime'), the feminine of ʿālī. The same root in Hebrew gives aliyah, the term for Jewish immigration to Israel (literally 'going up'). The R&B singer Aaliyah (Aaliyah Dana Haughton, 1979-2001) gave the name decisive English-language anchor; her death at age 22 in a plane crash made the name carry some emotional weight. It's been in the US top 100 since 2002. Spelling variants are unusually numerous: Aaliyah, Aliyah, Aalia, Alia. Lia and Liyah are common shorts.
Popularity over time
peaked at #36 in 2012, currently #101 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
Aaliyah is the singer's spelling and the dominant US form; Aliyah, Aaliya, and Alia all circulate. Pronunciation is the same across spellings.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Aaliyah American R&B singer, Try Again and Rock the Boat, 1979-2001
Spelling variants
- Aliyah
- Aaliya
- Alia