Aya
Aya was the 644th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 449 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 630th with 469 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 249 places. More babies were named Aya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning several origins (Japanese, Akkadian goddess) · Japanese, Akkadian
Say it EYE-uh /ˈaɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #644 girls, up 145 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 449girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024469 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,987babies recorded
What does the name Aya mean?
Aya has several unrelated sources. In Japanese it is a girls' name, and Wiktionary records the English use as borrowed from Japanese Aya; like most Japanese names, its meaning depends on the characters used. In Akkadian mythology Aya was a mother goddess, consort of the sun god Shamash, and a distant dwarf planet is named after her. Other uses of Aya exist, but our sources do not document their meanings. In the US it has been used since the 1970s.
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several independent sources; no single meaning applies.
See also: Japanese names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Aya' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Aya' (French section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Aya popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #644 | 449 |
| 2020 | #789 | 345 |
| 2010 | #1,056 | 235 |
| 2000 | #1,602 | 110 |
| 1990 | #3,079 | 36 |
| 1980 | #5,261 | 13 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Aya, counting every spelling?
Aya is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #413 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #644 for Aya on its own. Together these spellings went to 800 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aya | 449 | #644 | 2,072 |
| Ayah | 309 | #870 | 1,323 |
| Aayah | 6 | #13,215 | 38 |
| Aia | 8 | #10,952 | 28 |
| Aiah | 28 | #4,761 | 28 |
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 Aya?
449 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Aya (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Aya 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 19 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Aya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Aya?
About 7,900 people born in the US named Aya are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 5 and 19. That makes Aya 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.
Aya by state
How common Aya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Michigan (3.3×), Virginia (2.4×), Massachusetts (2.2×), Illinois (1.8×), Washington (1.8×). In 19 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Aya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Aya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Aya · Sibling names for Aya
Questions about the name Aya
What does Aya mean?
Aya is usually explained as “several origins (Japanese, Akkadian goddess)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Aya?
Aya was the 644th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 449 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 630th with 469 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 249 places. More babies were named Aya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Aya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Aya in the US.
Where is Aya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Aya was most common in Hawaii (1.05 per 1,000 girls), followed by District of Columbia and Michigan.