Asaya
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "desire" or "wish".
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the first name Asaya. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Asaya today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Asaya births was 2020 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Asaya. 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
137
~ 1 in 2,501,856 Americans
Peak year
2020
31 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,970
Tracked since 2014
Gender
Gender distribution for Asaya
Asaya leans heavily male at 88.4% of total registrations, but 16 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Asaya as a male name
- Ranked #9,970 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (26 births)
Asaya as a female name
- Ranked #15,512 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2017 (6 births)
Popularity
Asaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Asaya from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 81 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
Asaya 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 Asaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Asayas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Asaya
The name Asaya is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was an ancient Indo-Aryan language that originated on the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "asaya," which means "abode" or "dwelling place." It is thought to have been used as a given name in India as early as the 5th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Asaya can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. In this text, Asaya is mentioned as the name of a sage or rishi who lived during the time of the Kurukshetra War, which is believed to have taken place around the 9th century BCE.
Throughout the centuries, the name Asaya has been borne by several notable figures in Indian history and culture. One such individual was Asaya Deva, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 12th century CE. He is best known for his works on grammar and poetics, including the "Asaya Deva Vritti," a commentary on the famous Sanskrit text "Ashtadhyayi" by Panini.
Another notable bearer of the name Asaya was Asaya Ghosh, a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. Ghosh was born in 1872 and was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. He played a significant role in the non-violent resistance movement and was imprisoned several times for his involvement in the struggle for India's freedom.
In more recent times, the name Asaya has been carried by individuals such as Asaya Fujita, a Japanese writer and translator who was born in 1911 and is known for her translations of works by authors like Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence. Additionally, Asaya Mohanty, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, has also borne this name.
While the name Asaya has its roots in the Sanskrit language and Indian culture, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly among those with an interest in or connection to Indian traditions and spirituality.
People
Asaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Asaya 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
Asaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Asaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 137 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Asaya 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 2,501,856 US residents.
Is Asaya a common name?
We classify Asaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 138 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Asaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Asaya was 2020, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Asaya is about 6 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 Asaya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Asaya a male name?
Yes, 88.4% of people registered as Asaya in the SSA data are male. 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 Asaya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Asaya 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 Asaya 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 are named Asaya?
Find out how many Americans are named Asaya on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.