Fun Facts About the Name Iah
- 15 babies named Iah: U.S. records list 15 babies given the name Iah from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Iah - about 1 boy for every 2 girls.
What Does the Name Iah Mean?
Iah is an ancient Egyptian name meaning "moon." It comes from the Egyptian word ỉꜥḥ, which named both the moon and the moon god. That same word survived into Coptic as ⲟⲟϩ (ooh), still meaning "moon." Egyptian writing recorded consonants rather than vowels, so the original vocalization of ỉꜥḥ is not preserved; "Iah" is a modern English spelling convention for the Egyptian consonants. Used as a divine name, Iah could also stand as the first element of longer personal names, where it referred to the god rather than to the moon as a heavenly body. The similar-looking Hebrew Yah, a shortened form of the divine name YHWH, is a separate word in a different language and is not the source of the Egyptian name.
Iah Name History & Origins
The word ỉꜥḥ, "moon," appears in the Pyramid Texts, the royal funerary spells carved inside pyramids from the late Fifth Dynasty onward, where the moon's waxing and waning are tied to the king's renewal in the afterlife. As a distinct god, Iah was the moon deity of Egyptian religion, imagined as a figure who crossed the night sky. Because several Egyptian gods were connected with the moon, his position changed over the centuries: in the Middle Kingdom he was sometimes called "the moon of the gods," while in Thebes the moon god Khonsu, son of Amun and Mut, and in Hermopolis the god Thoth held much of the same role. Iah was not simply replaced; late texts speak of Thoth-Iah, and he was also joined with Osiris as Osiris-Iah, linking the moon's cycle of loss and return to that god's death and revival.
Iah is best documented through the personal names built on his name. The element ỉꜥḥ forms Jꜥḥ-ms, commonly understood as "Iah is born" (or "the moon is born") and rendered in modern histories as Ahmose, and Jꜥḥ-ḥtp, "Iah is satisfied," rendered as Ahhotep. Kings and queens of the early Eighteenth Dynasty bore such names, including Ahmose I, who completed the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt, and his mother Ahhotep. In these names Iah acted as a patron god of the child, as other deities did in names like Amenhotep or Thutmose.
In art, Iah was usually shown as a mummiform man wearing the crescent moon and full moon on his head, and in some depictions as a baboon, an animal Egyptians linked with the moon. Later Egyptian tradition counted him among the gods who measured time, and he was sometimes described as the moon that receives its light from the sun god.
How Popular is the Name Iah?
Iah 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 2022. Its best rank was #13,062 in 2022.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | #16,449 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #17,799 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #13,062 | 5 | 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 Iah Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Iah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Iah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.