Semaj
Feminine · “James reversed”
Semaj is given to both — 2,038 girls and 7,421 boys since 1880. See Semaj as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Semaj is James spelled backwards, and that is not a coincidence or a coincidence anyone doubts. Reversal naming is a real and identifiable American practice — Nevaeh is heaven backwards, Semaj is James, Yerdua is Audrey, Nosmas is Samson — and it produced a set of names that look invented and are precisely constructed. Its peak is 2009.
How old is the name Semaj?
Semaj first appears in US birth records in 1974 — 51 years ago. The typical Semaj alive today was born around 2008, making them about 17 years old. About 2,000 people named Semaj are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Semaj most popular?
Semaj peaked in 2009, reaching #1676 nationally. Today it ranks #6325, 4,649 places below that high. See the whole 2009 chart.
Where it comes from
From Yaaqov to Semaj
Our story of Semaj
Reversal naming has one famous case and a substantial tail. Nevaeh — heaven backwards — appeared in American records in 2001, entered the top hundred within five years, and is the best-documented instance of a name spreading from a single televised mention. But the practice is older and wider than that: American records carry Nosmas, Yerdua, Ecnerwal, Nayr and dozens of others, and Semaj is among the most successful. What all of them share is a specific pleasure — the name is a small puzzle, invisible until noticed and obvious once it is, and it encodes a real name without simply repeating it. A father called James can give a daughter Semaj and the connection is complete and completely private until someone works it out. That is a genuine piece of naming design, and it belongs entirely to English-speaking America.
Meaning
James reversed
The construction is the meaning. James descends from Hebrew Yaaqov through Greek Iakobos and the Late Latin Iacomus, and its traditional reading is 'supplanter' or possibly 'may God protect'. Reversed, the letters spell nothing in any language; the name's content is the relation to James, which is deliberate and visible to anyone who notices it. No dictionary gloss applies.
How the name formed
- Yaaqov
- James
- Semaj
Pronouncing Semaj
suh-MAHZH
Two syllables, stress at the end, with the final j said as the zh of measure by most American speakers. A harder suh-MADGE is also heard. Both circulate, and the softer version is the more common.
Nicknames for Semaj
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1974
- Most girls named
- 2009133 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1676reached in 2009
- Change vs 2024
- −5.3%18 in 2025, from 19
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Semaj in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, New York, Florida.
Semajs among us
people named Semaj are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 89,293 born in 2025 was named Semaj
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Ellenor test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Semaj's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Ellenor climbed just as high around 1908, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Ellenor's path sketches the road Semaj is walking now.
Semaj sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Semaj beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Semaj in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The construction is deliberate and legible once explained, which few modern names manage.
- It works on either sex, with real American use on both.
- It is short and immediately memorable.
- Two pronunciations circulate for the final consonant.
- The reversal is noticed by some people and not by others, which produces uneven reactions.
- There is no meaning beyond the name it reverses.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Semaj to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Semaj? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Semaj
Feminine · #6325 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Semajs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,000 people named Semaj are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Semaj in 2025?
- Semaj ranks #6325 among US girl names in 2025, with 18 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Semaj?
- About 1 in every 89,293 US girls born in 2025 was named Semaj — 18 in all.
- Will my child share the name Semaj with classmates?
- Semaj will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Semaj
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kaye#6325 · Doria#6325 · Karolyn#6325 · Rosaleen#6325 · Roni#6325 · Darian#6325 · Svetlana#6325 · Fanny#6325
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Semaj? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Semaj and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle