Alaia
Alaia was the 117th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,318 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 112th with 2,429 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 547 places. More babies were named Alaia in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning joyful (Basque) · Basque
Say it uh-LY-uh /əˈlaɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #117 girls, up 3 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,318girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20242,429 babies
- Total since 1880
- 17,699babies recorded
What does the name Alaia mean?
Alaia is a Basque girl's name from alai, 'joyful, cheerful', and Wiktionary says it was borrowed into English use in the 21st century. Wiktionary also notes that earlier English uses may instead echo Hebrew aliyah, 'ascent', or Arabic aaliya, 'high, exalted'. Separately, alaia is the Hawaiian name of a traditional wooden surfboard, as Wikipedia notes, but that is not the source of the name.
alai (Basque, “joyful, cheerful”)
How sure is this? Probable. The modern name is mainly the Basque one; similar-sounding Hebrew and Arabic words may lie behind some uses.
Related names: Alaya, Alaiya, Aaliyah.
See also: names that mean joy.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Alaia', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Alaia', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Alaia popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 17 since 2020, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #117 | 2,318 |
| 2020 | #120 | 2,282 |
| 2010 | #3,746 | 41 |
| 2000 | #7,175 | 14 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Alaia, counting every spelling?
Alaia is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #57 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #117 for Alaia on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,490 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaia | 2,318 | #117 | 11,352 |
| Alayah | 756 | #412 | 4,171 |
| Alaya | 834 | #368 | 4,129 |
| Aleia | 279 | #933 | 1,225 |
| Alaiah | 121 | #1,692 | 550 |
| Aalayah | 54 | #3,028 | 296 |
| Aleiah | 44 | #3,462 | 211 |
| Alaiia | 41 | #3,646 | 166 |
| Aalaya | 15 | #7,133 | 64 |
| Allayah | 11 | #8,893 | 57 |
| Alleia | 17 | #6,558 | 32 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Alaia?
2,318 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alaia (0.64 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Alaia born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 4 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alaia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alaia?
About 17,600 people born in the US named Alaia are alive today, with a median age of 4; half are between 2 and 6. That makes Alaia a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Alaia by state
How common Alaia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Rhode Island (3.5×), New Mexico (2.4×), New Jersey (2.1×), Florida (2.1×), New York (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in North Dakota, South Dakota, New Hampshire.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alaia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alaia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Alaia · Sibling names for Alaia
Questions about the name Alaia
What does Alaia mean?
Alaia means “joyful (Basque)” (Basque origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Alaia?
Alaia was the 117th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,318 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 112th with 2,429 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 547 places. More babies were named Alaia in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Alaia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Alaia in the US.
Where is Alaia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Alaia was most common in Rhode Island (4.87 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Mexico and New Jersey.