Alaya
Alaya was the 368th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 834 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 338th with 915 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 360 places. More babies were named Alaya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Alaia) joyful (Basque) · Basque
- Rank in 2025
- #368 girls, down 30 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 834girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2020915 babies
- Total since 1880
- 11,095babies recorded
What does the name Alaya mean?
Alaya is a spelling of Alaia, pronounced the same way, so it shares Alaia's meaning and origin.
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
Alaya popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #368 | 834 |
| 2020 | #338 | 915 |
| 2010 | #1,030 | 242 |
| 2000 | #2,104 | 77 |
| 1990 | #6,471 | 13 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Alaya, counting every spelling?
Alaya is a spelling of Alaia, a name family that ranked #57 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #368 for Alaya 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 Alaya?
834 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alaya (0.23 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Alaya 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 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alaya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alaya?
About 11,000 people born in the US named Alaya are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 14. That makes Alaya 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.
Alaya by state
How common Alaya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (2.3×), Mississippi (2.1×), Nevada (1.9×), Louisiana (1.7×), South Carolina (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Utah, Idaho, Oregon.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alaya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alaya, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Alaya
What does Alaya mean?
Alaya is a spelling of Alaia, which means “joyful (Basque)” (Basque origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Alaya?
Alaya was the 368th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 834 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 338th with 915 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 360 places. More babies were named Alaya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Alaya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Alaya in the US.
Where is Alaya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Alaya was most common in New Mexico (1.15 per 1,000 girls), followed by Delaware and Mississippi.