Arshia
A Persian name meaning "sublime" or "lofty".
Name Census estimates that about 478 living Americans carry the first name Arshia. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 73.2% of registrations being female. The average person named Arshia today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arshia births was 2009 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arshia. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Arshia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
478
~ 1 in 717,059 Americans
Peak year
2009
38 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2022 SSA rank
#9,038
Tracked since 1976
Census
Arshia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 978 people with the first name Arshia, which placed it at #12,647 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,647
National first-name rank
People counted
978
978 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
60.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arshia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arshia is Asian/Pacific Islander at 60.1%. The next largest groups are White (32.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Arshia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Arshia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander60.1% · 588
- White32.6% · 319
- Two or more races5.1% · 50
- Black or African American1.3% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Arshia
Arshia is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 485 total registrations, 130 (26.8%) were male and 355 (73.2%) were female.
Arshia as a male name
- Ranked #9,038 in 2022
- 8 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2001 (11 births)
Arshia as a female name
- Ranked #15,451 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2009 (31 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Arshia on both sides of the split. Of the 975 people counted with this name, 330 were male (33.8%) and 645 were female (66.2%).
Popularity
Arshia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arshia from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 254 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
Arshia 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 Arshia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arshias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Arshia
The name Arshia is derived from the Persian language and has its origins in ancient Iran. It is believed to be a variation of the Old Persian name Arsh, which means "throne" or "royal throne." The name Arshia carries a regal and majestic connotation, often associated with royalty and nobility.
In ancient Persian mythology, Arsh was the name of a powerful and benevolent deity, believed to be the guardian of the royal throne. The name Arshia was likely bestowed upon individuals born into noble or royal families, symbolizing their prestigious lineage and potential for greatness.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Arshia can be found in the ancient Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. In this literary masterpiece, Arshia is mentioned as the name of a valiant warrior and noble prince.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Arshia. One of the most famous was Arshia Khan (1556-1628), a renowned Mughal nobleman and military commander who served under the Mughal emperor Akbar. He played a crucial role in the conquest of the Deccan region in India and was renowned for his bravery and strategic prowess.
Another notable figure was Arshia Sattar (1959-present), an Indian translator, and scholar known for her acclaimed translations of ancient Indian epics, including the Valmiki Ramayana and the Kathasaritsagara. Her work has been instrumental in preserving and promoting the rich literary heritage of India.
In the realm of art, Arshia Siddique (1974-present) is a celebrated Pakistani artist and printmaker. Her works have been exhibited internationally and explore themes of identity, culture, and the human experience. She is renowned for her intricate and symbolic compositions.
The name Arshia has also been associated with intellectual and academic pursuits. Arshia Mukherjee (1974-present) is an Indian scholar and professor of English literature, known for her research on postcolonial literature and theory. Her contributions to the field have earned her widespread acclaim and recognition.
Lastly, Arshia Ghafour (1989-present) is a notable Afghan-American fashion designer and entrepreneur. She founded her eponymous fashion label, which combines traditional Afghan craftsmanship with contemporary design sensibilities, promoting cultural diversity and empowerment.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Arshia throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and disciplines, from warfare and literature to art, academia, and entrepreneurship.
People
Arshia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arshia 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
Arshia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arshia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 478 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arshia 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 717,059 US residents.
Is Arshia a common name?
We classify Arshia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 485 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arshia most popular?
The single biggest year for Arshia was 2009, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arshia is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Arshia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 978 people with the name Arshia, or 0.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,647 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Arshia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Arshia?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Arshia on both sides of the split. Of the 975 people counted with this name, 330 were male (33.8%) and 645 were female (66.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Arshia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arshia is Asian/Pacific Islander at 60.1%. The next largest groups are White (32.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Arshia most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Arshia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (588 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Arshia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arshia a female name?
Yes, 73.2% of people registered as Arshia 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 Arshia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arshia 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 Arshia 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.
How many people are called Arshia?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.