Anaja
A Hindu feminine name meaning "unconquered, undefeated".
Name Census estimates that about 221 living Americans carry the first name Anaja. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Anaja today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Anaja births was 2001 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Anaja. 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.
People living today
221
~ 1 in 1,550,925 Americans
Peak year
2001
22 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,408
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Anaja: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Anaja from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 143 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Anaja 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 Anaja during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Anajas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Anaja
The name Anaja finds its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest languages in the world, tracing back to ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "anaja," meaning "without blemish" or "unblemished." This name was commonly used in various parts of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in regions where Sanskrit was widely spoken and studied.
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and Puranas, there are references to several characters and deities with names that bear a resemblance to Anaja. For instance, the name Anjana is mentioned in the Ramayana, one of the two major Sanskrit epics, as the name of the wife of the sage Rishi Kashyapa.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Anaja can be found in the writings of the renowned Indian philosopher and scholar, Adi Shankara, who lived between 788 and 820 CE. In his commentaries on the Brahma Sutras, he mentions an individual named Anaja as one of his disciples.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Anaja. One such individual was Anaja Bhatta (1550-1630 CE), a renowned scholar and author from the Vijayanagar Empire in southern India. He wrote extensively on topics such as grammar, logic, and philosophy, and his works were highly influential in his time.
Another prominent figure with the name Anaja was Anaja Devi (1876-1942), a social reformer and advocate for women's education in British India. She founded several schools and organizations aimed at improving the lives of women and promoting their empowerment.
In the field of literature, Anaja Rau (1909-1983) was a renowned Indian writer and novelist. Her works, which explored themes of identity, culture, and tradition, were widely acclaimed and translated into multiple languages.
Anaja Dhar (1928-2011) was a distinguished Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was instrumental in popularizing and preserving the Kathak dance form, and her contributions to the field of dance were recognized with several prestigious awards and honors.
Anaja Singh (1935-2020) was a respected Indian politician and social activist. She served as a member of the Indian Parliament and was known for her work in promoting environmental conservation and rural development.
People
Anaja + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Anaja 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
Anaja: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Anaja?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 221 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Anaja 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 1,550,925 US residents.
Is Anaja a common name?
We classify Anaja as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 225 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Anaja most popular?
The single biggest year for Anaja was 2001, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Anaja is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Anaja a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Anaja 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.