Chaya
Chaya was the 588th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 499 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 155 places. More babies were named Chaya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning living, life (Hebrew) · Hebrew
Say it KHY-uh /ˈxaɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #588 girls, up 74 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 499girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024504 babies
- Total since 1880
- 15,684babies recorded
What does the name Chaya mean?
Chaya is a Hebrew girls' name related to the word for life. Wiktionary gives Hebrew chayyah, living or alive (the feminine of chai, alive); the same noun can also mean an animal, a living creature. The name is close to Chavvah, the Hebrew name of Eve, which Genesis 3:20 connects with chai, living. In Hebrew the ch is a throaty sound, like the ch in Scottish loch. US records show Chaya from the 1940s.
חַיָּה (Hebrew, “living (feminine); living creature”)חַי (Hebrew, “alive, living”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: The ch is the throaty sound in Scottish loch; many Americans simplify it to h.
Related names: Chaia, Haya, Eve, Chava, Chai.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Chaya' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'חיה' (Hebrew section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Genesis 3:20, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition, with translators' note (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Chaya popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 10 since 1981.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #588 | 499 |
| 2020 | #662 | 434 |
| 2010 | #730 | 384 |
| 2000 | #774 | 295 |
| 1990 | #895 | 215 |
| 1980 | #1,178 | 114 |
| 1970 | #2,022 | 41 |
| 1960 | #3,106 | 16 |
| 1950 | #3,710 | 9 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Chaya, counting every spelling?
Chaya is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #584 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #588 for Chaya on its own. Together these spellings went to 511 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaya | 499 | #588 | 2,461 |
| Khaia | 6 | #14,082 | 49 |
| Khaya | 6 | #14,092 | 30 |
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 Chaya?
499 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Chaya (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Chaya 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 17 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Chaya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Chaya?
About 15,400 people born in the US named Chaya are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 9 and 31. That makes Chaya 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.
Chaya by state
How common Chaya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (12.3×), New York (11.3×). In 38 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 Chaya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Chaya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Chaya · Sibling names for Chaya
Questions about the name Chaya
What does Chaya mean?
Chaya means “living, life (Hebrew)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Chaya?
Chaya was the 588th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 499 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 155 places. More babies were named Chaya in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Chaya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Chaya in the US.
Where is Chaya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Chaya was most common in New Jersey (3.72 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and Maryland.