| Aaliyah | Amira | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | High, exalted, sublime | princess |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ah-LEE-ah | ah-MEER-ah |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1976 | 1963 |
| Peak year | 2012 (5,523) | 2024 (2,182) |
| In 2025 | 2,607 | 2,168 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aaliyah | Amira |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 18,666 | 10,336 |
| 2010s | 46,734 | 8,199 |
| 2000s | 36,381 | 4,635 |
| 1990s | 7,839 | 1,563 |
| 1980s | 209 | 595 |
| 1970s | 142 | 257 |
| 1960s | 0 | 24 |
Aaliyah ('aliya, عالية) is the feminine of 'Ali ('high, exalted'), from the Arabic root '-l-w, meaning 'high, lofty, sublime'. It appears in many transliterations including Alia, Aliyah, Aliya and Aaliyah.
Arabic 'amira', the feminine of 'amir' ('prince, commander, ruler'), meaning 'princess'. Royal but not literally 'queen' — the root a-m-r concerns command/rule. (A separate Hebrew name Amira means 'speech/treetop'.)
Aaliyah is more popular than Amira today: about 2,607 US babies were given the name Aaliyah in 2025, compared with 2,168 named Amira.
Aaliyah means High, exalted, sublime (arabic origin), while Amira means princess (arabic origin).
In US records, Aaliyah first appears in 1976 and Amira in 1963, so Amira has the longer recorded history.