| Nia | Jamila | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Purpose | Beautiful |
| Origin | swahili | swahili |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | NEE-ah | jah-MEE-lah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2000 (1,033) | 1977 (418) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Vintage | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Nia | Jamila |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,932 | 755 |
| 2010s | 6,546 | 1,074 |
| 2000s | 8,571 | 930 |
| 1990s | 5,283 | 1,834 |
| 1980s | 1,198 | 1,887 |
| 1970s | 788 | 1,781 |
| 1960s | 85 | 61 |
| 1950s | 19 | 0 |
Swahili, 'purpose, intention,' from Arabic niyya. Also one of the seven Kwanzaa principles. Chiefly feminine.
'Beautiful,' from Arabic jamil(a); widely used in Swahili-speaking Muslim communities. Feminine; the masculine form is Jamil.
Nia and Jamila are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Nia means Purpose (swahili origin), while Jamila means Beautiful (swahili origin).
In US records, Nia first appears in 0 and Jamila in 0, so Nia has the longer recorded history.