Latest revision - June 20, 2021
This pancocojams post presents isome article excerpts about the influence of the name "Aaliyah" on names ending in "iyah" that have been given to African American females since the early 2000s.
The content of this post is presented for etymological purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Aaliyah for her cultural legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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INFORMATION ABOUT SINGER AALIYAH
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaliyah
"Aaliyah Dana Haughton (/ɑːˈliːə/; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, and model. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records. Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. The album sold 3 million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records.
Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold 3 million copies in the United States and more than 8 million copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die. She contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again". The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this goal. "Try Again" also earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist. After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen of the Damned, and released her self-titled third and final studio album in 2001.
On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat". .... Aaliyah's music continued to achieve commercial success with several posthumous releases and has sold an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop,[1] earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop". Billboard lists her as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years, and the 27th most successful in history.
Early life
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York,[2] and was the younger child of Diane and Michael "Miguel" Haughton (1951–2012).[3] She was of African-American descent.[3][4][5] Her name has been described as a female version of the Arabic "Ali", but the original Jewish name "Aliya (Hebrew: אליה)" is derived from the Hebrew word "aliyah (Hebrew: עלייה)", meaning "highest, most exalted one, the best."[6][7] "...
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EXCERPTS ABOUT SEVERAL NAMES ENDING IN IYAH
Excerpt #1:
https://quranicnames.com/aaliyah/
"Aaliyah is a Quranic name for girls that means “high”, “exalted”, “sublime”, “lofty”. It is directly mentioned twice in the Quran"
**
Excerpt #2
From http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Aaliyah
"Aaliyah... as a name for girls has its root in Hebrew, and the meaning of the name Aaliyah is "exalted, sublime". Aaliyah is an alternate spelling of Aliya (Hebrew): made popular by late singer Aaliyah.
ENDS WITH -yah
ASSOCIATED WITH exalted
Variations
VARIANTS Alliah, Aliye, Aliyah, Aliah, Alia, Aleigha, Aleeyah, Aleea, Aleah, Alea, Aaliya
[...]
Aaliyah was first listed in 1994 and reached its top rank of #36 in the U.S. in the year 2012, and is currently at #65. (2018 BIRTH STATISTICS)
[...]
Aliyah (#160 IN RECENT RANKINGS), Aleah (#553), Alia (#659), Aliya (#915), Aliah (#1108), Aleigha (#1541), Alea and Aleeyah are the prominent variation forms of Aaliyah (#65) ranked in the Top 2000. These forms of Aaliyah were at the apex of their popularity in the year 2012 (USAGE OF 0.57%) and are somewhat less common today (USAGE 0.43%, 25% LESS). The more fashionable baby names among these are Alia, Aliah, Aleah, Aliyah and Aaliyah."
-snip-
These are references to birth statistics/name listings are from the United States Social Security Administration.
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Excerpt #3
From https://ohbabynames.com/all-baby-names/samiyah/
"Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Samiyah
Samiyah is an embellished spelling of Samiya (سامية), a female name of Arabic origin and equivalent to the masculine Sāmi meaning “elevated, sublime”. Although Samiya is a common name among Arabic speakers, in terms of the Western World (besides Arab immigrants) this is a name which has mainly been embraced within the African-American community, such as African-American poet Samiya Bashir. Not only that, but the “-iyah” name suffix has been going gangbusters ever since music fans were introduced to Aaliyah in the 1990s. Don’t believe us? Just consider the following names Samiyah joins on the U.S. charts today: Aaliyah, Amiyah, Aniyah, Jaliyah, Janiyah, Kaliyah, Laniyah, Maliyah, Mariyah, Saniyah, Taliyah, Taniyah, Zaniyah and Zariyah.
[...]
Popularity
OF THE GIRL NAME SAMIYAH
Samiyah is very new to the American female naming charts making her debut in 2009. There’s not much to be said about Samiyah’s potential staying-power; it’s just too soon to determine. All of the “-iyah” names have a lovely sing-song, poetic quality. They are original, meaningful names that carry much significance to their name bearers. Samiyah in particular is an “exalted” name choice."
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Excerpt #4
From https://ohbabynames.com/all-baby-names/saniyah/
"Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Saniyah
Saniyah is an Americanized respelling of Saniyya (سنيّة) which means “brilliant, radiant” in Arabic. Female names with the “-iyah” suffix have become ϋber-popular in the United States, particularly within the African-American community. This was largely influenced by the talented singer and pop-star Aaliyah. Now we can find the following similar sounding names on the American charts: Aniyah, Maliyah, Amiyah, Janiyah, Jaliyah, Kaliyah, Taliyah, Zaniyah, Samiyah, Zariyah and Sariyah (and no, we’re not kidding). The “-iyah” craze may be a little overdone at this point, but we do love the “brilliant” etymology of Saniyya. We also love that it’s a Five in numerology – the number representing people with the most “radiant” of personalities. Apparently the name fits!
[...]
Popularity
OF THE GIRL NAME SANIYAH
Saniyah has only been around since 2004 and pretty quickly leveled off in the middle of the charts around position #600. Now she’s turning backwards and losing usage, most likely because the “-iyah” names have become a little too trendy and overused. It’s hard to know where the name will go from here; it hasn’t been around long enough to determine its staying power. Still, how can you not like a name that means “resplendence”? Perhaps this one will shine on.”...
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Excerpt #5
From https://nameberry.com/babyname/Jaliyah
"Jaliyah Origin and Meaning
The name Jaliyah is a girl's name of Hebrew origin.
While some sources say it's Arabic for lofty and others call it Hebrew, Jaliyah seems to be a variation of the popular Aliyah, which is a Hebrew word and name meaning "ascent." The Ja- beginning often connotes God, so the meaning might be God's ascent."...
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Visitor comments are welcome.
From http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Aaliyah
"Aaliyah... as a name for girls has its root in Hebrew, and the meaning of the name Aaliyah is "exalted, sublime". Aaliyah is an alternate spelling of Aliya (Hebrew): made popular by late singer Aaliyah.
ENDS WITH -yah
ASSOCIATED WITH exalted
Variations
VARIANTS Alliah, Aliye, Aliyah, Aliah, Alia, Aleigha, Aleeyah, Aleea, Aleah, Alea, Aaliya
[...]
Aaliyah was first listed in 1994 and reached its top rank of #36 in the U.S. in the year 2012, and is currently at #65. (2018 BIRTH STATISTICS)
[...]
Aliyah (#160 IN RECENT RANKINGS), Aleah (#553), Alia (#659), Aliya (#915), Aliah (#1108), Aleigha (#1541), Alea and Aleeyah are the prominent variation forms of Aaliyah (#65) ranked in the Top 2000. These forms of Aaliyah were at the apex of their popularity in the year 2012 (USAGE OF 0.57%) and are somewhat less common today (USAGE 0.43%, 25% LESS). The more fashionable baby names among these are Alia, Aliah, Aleah, Aliyah and Aaliyah."
-snip-
These are references to birth statistics/name listings are from the United States Social Security Administration.
****
Excerpt #3
From https://ohbabynames.com/all-baby-names/samiyah/
"Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Samiyah
Samiyah is an embellished spelling of Samiya (سامية), a female name of Arabic origin and equivalent to the masculine Sāmi meaning “elevated, sublime”. Although Samiya is a common name among Arabic speakers, in terms of the Western World (besides Arab immigrants) this is a name which has mainly been embraced within the African-American community, such as African-American poet Samiya Bashir. Not only that, but the “-iyah” name suffix has been going gangbusters ever since music fans were introduced to Aaliyah in the 1990s. Don’t believe us? Just consider the following names Samiyah joins on the U.S. charts today: Aaliyah, Amiyah, Aniyah, Jaliyah, Janiyah, Kaliyah, Laniyah, Maliyah, Mariyah, Saniyah, Taliyah, Taniyah, Zaniyah and Zariyah.
[...]
Popularity
OF THE GIRL NAME SAMIYAH
Samiyah is very new to the American female naming charts making her debut in 2009. There’s not much to be said about Samiyah’s potential staying-power; it’s just too soon to determine. All of the “-iyah” names have a lovely sing-song, poetic quality. They are original, meaningful names that carry much significance to their name bearers. Samiyah in particular is an “exalted” name choice."
****
Excerpt #4
From https://ohbabynames.com/all-baby-names/saniyah/
"Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Saniyah
Saniyah is an Americanized respelling of Saniyya (سنيّة) which means “brilliant, radiant” in Arabic. Female names with the “-iyah” suffix have become ϋber-popular in the United States, particularly within the African-American community. This was largely influenced by the talented singer and pop-star Aaliyah. Now we can find the following similar sounding names on the American charts: Aniyah, Maliyah, Amiyah, Janiyah, Jaliyah, Kaliyah, Taliyah, Zaniyah, Samiyah, Zariyah and Sariyah (and no, we’re not kidding). The “-iyah” craze may be a little overdone at this point, but we do love the “brilliant” etymology of Saniyya. We also love that it’s a Five in numerology – the number representing people with the most “radiant” of personalities. Apparently the name fits!
[...]
Popularity
OF THE GIRL NAME SANIYAH
Saniyah has only been around since 2004 and pretty quickly leveled off in the middle of the charts around position #600. Now she’s turning backwards and losing usage, most likely because the “-iyah” names have become a little too trendy and overused. It’s hard to know where the name will go from here; it hasn’t been around long enough to determine its staying power. Still, how can you not like a name that means “resplendence”? Perhaps this one will shine on.”...
****
Excerpt #5
From https://nameberry.com/babyname/Jaliyah
"Jaliyah Origin and Meaning
The name Jaliyah is a girl's name of Hebrew origin.
While some sources say it's Arabic for lofty and others call it Hebrew, Jaliyah seems to be a variation of the popular Aliyah, which is a Hebrew word and name meaning "ascent." The Ja- beginning often connotes God, so the meaning might be God's ascent."...
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
I believe that how a name sounds and how it is spelled are the two things that most African Americans are concerned about when it comes to choosing a child's names. Furthermore, a lot of people (and not just African Americans) follow current trends in names at the same time that they try to come up with a "unique" or different (non-standard) name for their children.
ReplyDeleteThat said, here's an excerpt from a discussion thread about the meaning of the Hebrew suffix "iyah" as it pertains to personal names:
From https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/origin-of-the-arabic-adjectivizing-suffix-iyy.3107339/ "Origin of the Arabic adjectivizing suffix -iyy-"
"Russkitav ,Dec 6, 2015
#1
Hi,
Is there any research into the historical source of the Arabic suffix -iyya(aẗ)- ? Are there any cognates to it in other Semitic languages? If so, are they all of the [ijj] type, or was there ever another consonant at the end (like with English -y- being from Germanic -ig-)? Did it always act to turn nouns into adjectives as well as be used is a nisba adjective/noun sense?"
**
berndf
Dec 6, 2015
#2
"The Jod adjective suffix exists also in Hebrew."
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origumi
Dec 6, 2015
#3
"As berndf wrote, -iyya exists in Biblical through Modern Hebrew. Sometimes it's a feminine nisba (thus serves as either adjective or noun), other times a pure noun.
Hebrew has the -iyya suffix in some other cases apparently irrelevant to this thread. Among them theophoric names like Hizkiyya and verbal nouns of roots that end with h/y."
**
fdb
Cambridge, UK
Dec 6, 2015
#4
"And Aramaic –ay."
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OBrasilo
Dec 7, 2015
#6
"origumi said:
Among them theophoric names like Hizkiyya and verbal nouns
That's not the same suffix, though. It's actually -yah, and it's a suffix derived from the name of God, Yahweh."
**
origumi
Dec 8, 2015
#8
"OBrasilo said:
That's not the same suffix, though. It's actually -yah, and it's a suffix derived from the name of God, Yahweh.
"irrelevant to this thread" was omitted in your citation.
The name is -iyya.
"Theophoric" means "bearing the name of a god".
It's likely that a lot of people who give children "iyah" ending names don't know that some of these names are old Hebrew and/or old Arabic names that have established meanings.
ReplyDeleteSome people may think that they came up with those names themselves and might give those names other meanings, if they decide to give that name any meaning at all. That's one reason why there often are different meanings for these "iyah" names and other names that weren't usually given to children before the 1970s.
Here's information about the quranic (Islamic) name "Sana"
Delete(Note the variants of that name that are pronounced like the names "Saniya"/"Sanaya" that are becoming quite popular in the USA, particularly among African Americans)
From https://quranicnames.com/sana/
..."Alternate spellings of Sana:
Sanaa, Sena
All of the above spellings are acceptable for this name. You may also create your own spelling.
All Quranic baby names derived from S-N-A:
Asna, Sana, Sanaa, Sanaauddin, Sanaya, Sanayah, Saniyya, Saniyyaat, Sannee, Sonya, Sunayyan
Meaning of Sana
Sana is a direct Quranic name for girls meaning to shine dazzlingly, to glitter, to glow. It is used in the Quran in 24:43 when describing lightning:
Here's information about the Arabic female name "Sanaa"
Deletehttps://quranicnames.com/sanaa
Sanaa is an indirect Quranic name for girls that means “greatness”, “highness of status”. It shouldn’t be confused with the Quranic name Sana, both of which are derived from the same root. It is not directly mentioned in the Quran but its root is mentioned in Quran 24:43".
I have a 9 year old niece whose name is "Saniya". Her name is pronounced "sa- NI-yah, with the "NI" rhyming with the English words "eye", "by", "sigh", cry" etc. I believe that this is the usual pronunciation African Americans give this name.
DeleteHowever, in other countries "Saniya" would probably be pronounced "sah-NEE-yah" since the "i" would be pronounced like an "e".