Fun Facts About the Name Adayah
- 314 babies named Adayah: U.S. records list 314 babies given the name Adayah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Adayah Mean?
Adayah is a Hebrew name meaning "Yahweh has adorned," or more loosely "Yah has adorned." It represents the biblical Hebrew עֲדָיָה (ʿĂdāyāh), built from two elements: the root עָדָה (ʿādāh), whose basic sense is "to adorn" or "to deck with ornaments," and the shortened divine name יָהּ (Yāh), a form of the Tetragrammaton. Read literally, the name says something about God - that the deity has adorned or ornamented - rather than describing the person who bears it.
The ending יָה (‑yāh) follows a common pattern in Hebrew theophoric names, in which a form of the divine name is attached to a verb or noun. Names such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah share the structure, though their root words differ. The name is familiar from English Bibles under the spelling Adaiah; Adayah is a variant rendering, with the final h standing for the Hebrew letter he (ה) and the y for yod (י).
The customary gloss "Yahweh has adorned" follows the usual treatment of the root עָדָה. A separate Hebrew root with the same spelling means "to pass by" or "to advance," and a few explanations of the name have appealed to it. Because the name is rare in the biblical record, the adornment sense is the standard reading rather than a fully settled certainty.
Adayah Name History & Origins
The name is attested in the Hebrew Bible as עֲדָיָה, transliterated into English as Adaiah. It belongs to the large group of minor biblical personal names rather than to the patriarchs or kings. It is borne by a priest in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles and Nehemiah, by a man named in the list of those who had married foreign wives in Ezra 10, and by Adaiah of Bozkath, the father of Jedidah, who was the mother of King Josiah (2 Kings 22:1). These references place the name in ancient Israel and Judah but say nothing about how widely it was used.
From the Hebrew text the name passed into the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, and from those translations into English Bibles, where it appears as Adaiah. The spelling Adayah reflects a fuller transliteration of the Hebrew consonants and vowels, a style that became more common in modern Bible versions and in modern naming. In the same way, the final h makes explicit the Hebrew letter he that older English spellings often dropped.
As a modern given name, Adayah is used mainly for girls in English-speaking countries. Its use rests on the biblical name rather than on a separate tradition, and it is one of several spellings - along with Adaiah - that circulate today.
How Popular is the Name Adayah?
Adayah has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2020. Its best rank was #5,488 in 2020.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,491 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #6,373 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #5,749 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2022 | #7,284 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #6,693 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #5,488 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 2019 | #5,794 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2018 | #6,253 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #6,293 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #10,117 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #7,620 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #10,137 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #8,584 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #11,271 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #12,177 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #11,262 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #11,469 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #7,079 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2007 | #12,689 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #11,429 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #14,522 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #14,200 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #13,872 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #13,612 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #13,174 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Adayah Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Adayah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Adayah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.