Kriya
A Sanskrit word meaning "action, deed" or "spiritual practice".
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the first name Kriya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kriya today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kriya births was 2018 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kriya. 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 Kriya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
132
~ 1 in 2,596,624 Americans
Peak year
2018
15 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,571
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Kriya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kriya from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kriya 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 Kriya 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 Kriya
The name Kriya originates from the Sanskrit language and has its roots in ancient Hindu scriptures and philosophies. It is derived from the word "kriya," which means action, ritual, or practice in Sanskrit. The name is closely associated with the spiritual and yogic traditions of India.
In Hinduism, the term "kriya" holds great significance and refers to various spiritual practices, rituals, and ceremonies performed to attain spiritual growth and liberation. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, an ancient Hindu text written around 400 CE, extensively discusses the concept of "kriya yoga," which involves the practice of specific actions and disciplines to achieve self-realization.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Kriya can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts on yoga and spirituality. However, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time period when it started being used as a personal name. Historically, the name Kriya has been associated with individuals who have devoted their lives to spiritual pursuits and the practice of yoga.
One of the most notable figures in history who bore the name Kriya was Kriya Narayana, a revered Hindu saint and yogi who lived in the 19th century (1826-1899). He was a prominent disciple of the renowned spiritual master Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and played a crucial role in spreading the teachings of Vedanta philosophy and yoga in India and abroad.
Another historical figure with the name Kriya was Kriya Pradipika, a renowned Indian sage and yogi who authored the influential Sanskrit text "Kriya Yoga Pradipika" in the 15th century. This text provides detailed instructions on the practice of kriya yoga and is considered a seminal work in the yogic tradition.
In more modern times, Kriya has been the name of several notable individuals, such as Kriya Bhushan Govinda Goswami (1889-1976), a renowned spiritual teacher and founder of the Gaudiya Vedanta Society in India, and Kriya Mangala Goswami (1913-1996), a prominent Indian spiritual leader and founder of the Radha Govinda Mandir in New York.
Additionally, the name Kriya has been adopted by individuals in various parts of the world, particularly those influenced by the teachings of yoga and Hinduism, as a way to honor and connect with the spiritual and philosophical traditions associated with the name.
People
Kriya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kriya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kriya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kriya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 132 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kriya 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 2,596,624 US residents.
Is Kriya a common name?
We classify Kriya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 133 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kriya most popular?
The single biggest year for Kriya was 2018, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kriya is about 14 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 Kriya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kriya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kriya 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 Kriya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kriya 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 Kriya 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 Kriya as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.