Girl · #3,263 in 2026

Yemaya

Name: Popularity of the name Yemaya in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Yemaya, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Yemọja is a major water deity in the Yoruba religion. She is an oriṣa, and the patron spirit of rivers, particularly the Ogun River in Nigeria, and of oceans in Cuban and Brazilian Orisha religions.

Current Rank

#3,263

Peak Rank

#2,933 (2023)

Total Babies

559

5-Yr Trend

+51%

1991

First Year

2026

Last Year

2023

Peak Year

#2933

Peak Rank

559

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Yemaya

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Yemaya

Yemaya first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1991, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2023, when 57 Yemayas were born — ranking #2,933 that year. As of 2026, Yemaya ranks #3,263 for baby girls with 49 births, rising sharply (+51% over the past five years). In total, more than 559 Yemayas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Yemaya

Phonetically similar names — useful when Yemaya is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Janoah
Yemen
Uma
Yuma
Huma
Yama
Yenta
Junia
Unia
Yamma
Yema
Youma

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Yemaya

What does the name Yemaya mean?

How popular is Yemaya in 2026?

In 2026, Yemaya ranks #3,263 among girls' names in the U.S., with 49 babies given the name that year.

When was Yemaya most popular?

Yemaya reached its peak popularity in 2023, ranking #2,933 that year with 57 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Yemaya most popular?

Yemaya has historically been most popular in North Carolina, Florida, New York. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Yemaya.

Is Yemaya a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Yemaya is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Yemaya?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Yemaya include Mailyn, Hayat, Katalyna. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Yemaya

Yemaya is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1991 and has accumulated 559 births in the dataset. Yemaya's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #2,933. Use the chart and map above to compare Yemaya's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.