Anayla
A feminine name meaning "heaven" or "heaven on Earth" in Arabic.
Name Census estimates that about 371 living Americans carry the first name Anayla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Anayla today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Anayla births was 2016 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Anayla. 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
371
~ 1 in 923,866 Americans
Peak year
2016
28 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,165
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Anayla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Anayla from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 195 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Anayla remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Anayla 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 Anayla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Anaylas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Florida, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Anayla, while Texas, New York, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Anayla
The name Anayla is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, with its roots traced back to ancient India during the Vedic period, around 1500-500 BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "anala," which means "fire" or "radiance." This suggests that the name Anayla may have been associated with qualities such as passion, energy, and brightness.
While the exact origins of the name Anayla are uncertain, it is thought to have been influenced by the Sanskrit name Anala, which was mentioned in various ancient Hindu texts, including the Vedas and the Puranas. These sacred scriptures often personified natural elements, and Anala was depicted as the god of fire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Anayla can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 8th or 9th century BCE. In this epic, there is a character named Anayla, who was a warrior princess renowned for her bravery and skill in battle.
Throughout history, the name Anayla has been borne by several notable figures. One such individual was Anayla of Almería, a 12th-century Arabic poet and scholar from the city of Almería in present-day Spain. She was renowned for her contributions to the literary and intellectual circles of her time.
Another notable Anayla was Anayla Bhatt (1876-1936), an Indian social reformer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and education in British India. She played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.
In the realm of arts and culture, Anayla Nair (1918-2005) was an acclaimed Indian dancer and choreographer who helped popularize and preserve the classical dance form of Mohiniyattam. Her contributions to the art form earned her numerous accolades, including the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors.
Anayla Chaudhari (1932-2015) was a prominent Indian actress who appeared in numerous Bollywood films and television shows. She was particularly known for her roles in movies such as "Anari" and "Aankhen," and received several awards for her performances.
Lastly, Anayla Delgado (born 1971) is a contemporary Puerto Rican writer and poet who has gained recognition for her works exploring themes of identity, culture, and social justice. Her poetry collections, including "Papeles de Pandora" and "Huellas en el Sendero," have garnered critical acclaim.
People
Anayla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Anayla 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
Anayla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Anayla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 371 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Anayla 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 923,866 US residents.
Is Anayla a common name?
We classify Anayla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 374 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Anayla most popular?
The single biggest year for Anayla was 2016, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Anayla is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Anayla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Anayla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Anayla 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.
Is Anayla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Anayla in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Anayla can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Anayla?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.