Ruqayya
Ruqayya is an Arabic female given name meaning "to rise”, or ”she who rises high”. Like most Arabic names, it has multiple transliterations: Ruqayyah, Ruqiya, Ruqaya, Ruqaiya, Rukayya, Rukaiya, Rukiya, Rakiya, Rakia, etc..
- Arabic
- Azerbaijani
Meaning & Origin of Ruqayya
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ruqayya is an Arabic female given name meaning "to rise”, or ”she who rises high”. Like most Arabic names, it has multiple transliterations: Ruqayyah, Ruqiya, Ruqaya, Ruqaiya, Rukayya, Rukaiya, Rukiya, Rakiya, Rakia, etc..
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Arabic
- Azerbaijani
The Story of Ruqayya
The earliest SSA record of Ruqayya as a baby girl name dates back to 1996, when 5 babies received it. 2026 was its biggest year on record, with 26 newborns named Ruqayya — #5,066 in the national rankings. The 2020s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 56% of all recorded Ruqayyas. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #5,066 among baby girl names with 26 births, rising sharply (+146% over the past five years). In total, more than 219 Ruqayyas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Ruqayya
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ruqayya. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Ruqayya
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ruqayya is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ruqayya
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About the name Ruqayya
Ruqayya is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1996 and has accumulated 219 births in the dataset. Ruqayya's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #5,066. Use the chart and map above to compare Ruqayya's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
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Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.