Yahya

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A few things about Yahya you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Yahya

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

American actor

Choose Yahya and your child shares a first name with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, an American actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Yahya, like who?” Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Wikipedia article is available in 40 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Yahya Abdul-Mateen II on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,754 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Yahya, 455 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Yahya would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryYahya first shows up in US birth records in 1972, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 53 years since.
• 🏆Best yearYahya is at its all-time high right now: #615 in 2025.
• 📈Then vs nowYahya is 12× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 45,662 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 3,754.
• 🚀TrendYahya has climbed 390 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #615. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedYahya is most popular in Minnesota, where it ranks #213, followed by Illinois (#268) and Michigan (#321). It's in the top 1,000 in 20 states.
• 💬MeaningYahya is an Arabic form of John, which means “God is gracious”.

About the name Yahya

Yahya is a boy name meaning “God is gracious”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with Y and ending in “-hya”. US birth records list Yahya for boys from 1972 to 2025, in 49 of those 54 years. Its best year was 2025, when it ranked #615 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #615, with 455 babies.