Amaya
Amaya was the 180th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,723 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 129th with 2,280 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 34 places. More babies were named Amaya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Meaning disputed · Basque, Spanish
Say it uh-MY-uh /əˈmaɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #180 girls, down 41 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,723girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20182,280 babies
- Total since 1880
- 43,547babies recorded
What does the name Amaya mean?
Amaya has two explanations. Wiktionary says the name comes from the heroine of a Spanish historical novel, Amaya o los vascos del siglo VIII (1877) by Francisco Navarro Villoslada, and that it was explained as Basque amai, 'the end'. Wikipedia instead derives it from the village and mountain of Amaya in Castile, whose name may have Indo-European roots meaning 'mother city'. Both agree it is a Spanish and Basque name, also spelled Amaia, that spread to the US in the 1990s.
amai (Basque, “end (one explanation)”)Amaya (Spanish, “village and mountain in Castile”)
How sure is this? Disputed. Wiktionary: a novel heroine, glossed Basque 'the end'. Wikipedia: a Castilian place name possibly meaning 'mother city'.
Related names: Amaia, Amaiya, Maya.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Amaya', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Amaya (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Amaya popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 22 since 2004.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #180 | 1,723 |
| 2020 | #139 | 1,939 |
| 2010 | #226 | 1,395 |
| 2000 | #196 | 1,632 |
| 1990 | #7,325 | 11 |
| 1980 | #10,448 | 5 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Amaya, counting every spelling?
Amaya is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #118 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #180 for Amaya on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,670 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amaya | 1,723 | #180 | 8,805 |
| Amaia | 547 | #555 | 2,453 |
| Amayah | 323 | #841 | 1,770 |
| Amaiah | 65 | #2,649 | 274 |
| Ameia | 6 | #13,310 | 45 |
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 Amaya?
1,723 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Amaya (0.48 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Amaya 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 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Amaya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Amaya?
About 43,200 people born in the US named Amaya are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 20. That makes Amaya mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Amaya by state
How common Amaya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (4.1×), Hawaii (2.9×), Rhode Island (2.6×), Nevada (2.3×), Idaho (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Maine, New Hampshire, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Amaya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Amaya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Amaya · Sibling names for Amaya
Questions about the name Amaya
What does Amaya mean?
The meaning of Amaya is disputed: Wiktionary: a novel heroine, glossed Basque 'the end'. Wikipedia: a Castilian place name possibly meaning 'mother city'.
How popular is the name Amaya?
Amaya was the 180th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,723 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 129th with 2,280 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 34 places. More babies were named Amaya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Amaya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Amaya in the US.
Where is Amaya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Amaya was most common in New Mexico (4.48 per 1,000 girls), followed by Hawaii and Rhode Island.