Alaya
An Arabic girls' name derived from Alayah meaning "loftiness" or "sublime".
Name Census estimates that about 10,160 living Americans carry the first name Alaya. It sits at #362 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alaya today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alaya births was 2020 (913 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alaya. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Alaya is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
10K
~ 1 in 33,736 Americans
Peak year
2020
913 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#362
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Alaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alaya from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 4,201 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alaya by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Alaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alayas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 40 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Alaya, while Idaho, Utah, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 222 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alaya
The name Alaya originates from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that has its roots in the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "alaya," which means "abode" or "dwelling place." This term is often used in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy to refer to the repository or storehouse of past impressions and experiences within the mind.
In Hindu mythology, Alaya is mentioned as the name of a river or stream, and it is sometimes associated with the concept of a divine or sacred abode. The name has been found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, although specific references are scarce.
The earliest recorded use of the name Alaya can be traced back to the 7th century CE. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Alaya Rama, a Hindu philosopher and scholar who lived during the Pallava dynasty in South India. He is known for his commentaries on various philosophical texts and his contributions to the study of Advaita Vedanta.
In the 12th century, there was a famous Indian poet and scholar named Alaya Vamana, who was known for his work on Sanskrit grammar and poetics. He is believed to have been born in the present-day state of Karnataka in South India.
Another notable figure was Alaya Devi, a Hindu queen who ruled the Sena Empire in Bengal, India, during the late 12th century. She is renowned for her patronage of art, literature, and architecture, as well as her skills in warfare and governance.
In the field of Hindustani classical music, Alaya Khansahib was a celebrated Dhrupad singer and musician who lived in the 17th century. He is credited with preserving and propagating the Dhrupad tradition, which is one of the oldest forms of Hindustani classical music.
During the 19th century, there was an Indian philosopher and reformer named Alaya Prasad Tiwari, who played a significant role in the Bengal Renaissance movement. He advocated for social and educational reforms, particularly in the areas of women's rights and education.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Alaya. The name has a rich heritage and is deeply rooted in the cultural and philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent, reflecting the concept of a sacred dwelling place or repository of knowledge and experiences.
People
Alaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alaya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Alaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10,160 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alaya going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 33,736 US residents.
Is Alaya a common name?
We classify Alaya as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10,249 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Alaya was 2020, when 913 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alaya is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Alaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alaya in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.