Dalaya
A feminine Arabic name meaning "a branch or twig".
Name Census estimates that about 211 living Americans carry the first name Dalaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dalaya today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dalaya births was 2021 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dalaya. 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
211
~ 1 in 1,624,428 Americans
Peak year
2021
18 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,978
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Dalaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dalaya 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 106 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Dalaya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dalaya 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 Dalaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dalaya
The name Dalaya is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that has been spoken in the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years. In Sanskrit, the name Dalaya is thought to be derived from the word "dala," which means "branch" or "twig," and the suffix "ya," which is often used to form adjectives or nouns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dalaya can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Puranas, which date back to the 4th century CE. In these texts, Dalaya is mentioned as the name of a celestial nymph or apsara, who was renowned for her beauty and grace.
During the medieval period, the name Dalaya gained popularity among the ruling dynasties of India, particularly in the northern regions. One notable figure who bore this name was Dalaya Devi, a powerful queen who ruled over the Chahamana dynasty in the 12th century CE. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her dedication to the welfare of her subjects.
In the 16th century, the name Dalaya was also associated with a famous courtesan and poet named Dalaya Bai, who was celebrated for her literary works and her contributions to the cultural life of the Mughal Empire. Her poetry and writings continue to be studied and admired by scholars to this day.
Another historical figure who bore the name Dalaya was Dalaya Singh, a brave and skilled warrior who fought alongside the famous Sikh leader, Guru Gobind Singh, in the late 17th century. His valor and loyalty to the Sikh cause earned him a place in the annals of Sikh history.
In more recent times, the name Dalaya has been borne by several notable individuals, such as Dalaya Vatsyayan, an Indian scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the study of Indian arts and culture in the 20th century. Her works on classical Indian dance and aesthetics are widely acclaimed and have influenced generations of scholars and artists.
People
Dalaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dalaya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dalaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dalaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 211 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dalaya 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 1,624,428 US residents.
Is Dalaya a common name?
We classify Dalaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 213 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dalaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Dalaya was 2021, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dalaya is about 10 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 Dalaya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dalaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dalaya 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 Dalaya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dalaya 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 Dalaya 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 have the name Dalaya?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.