Yahia is a spelling of Yahya, the Arabic name of John the Baptist, who is honored as a prophet in the Quran. The Arabic form is usually explained as "he lives" or "he will live", while the Hebrew Yohanan behind John means "God is gracious". The spelling Yahia is common in Egypt and North Africa; in the United States the name rose from number 8182 in 2000 to number 2640 in 2025, its best rank so far, with 50 boys.