Lamaya
A feminine name of Arabic origin, meaning "night traveler" or "born at night".
Name Census estimates that about 692 living Americans carry the first name Lamaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lamaya today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lamaya births was 2008 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lamaya. 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
692
~ 1 in 495,310 Americans
Peak year
2008
43 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,192
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Lamaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lamaya from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 312 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
Lamaya 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 Lamaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lamayas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Illinois, Florida recorded the most babies named Lamaya, while Texas, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lamaya
The name Lamaya has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, which was prevalent in the Indian subcontinent during the early centuries of the common era. It is derived from the Sanskrit words "lama," meaning "divine," and "ya," which is a feminine suffix. The name thus translates to "the divine one" or "the celestial goddess."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lamaya can be found in the Puranas, which are ancient Hindu texts that recount the histories of the universe and the various deities revered in the Hindu tradition. In the Shiva Purana, Lamaya is mentioned as an epithet for the goddess Parvati, who is the consort of Lord Shiva.
Throughout the centuries, the name Lamaya has been associated with several notable figures in Indian history and literature. One such figure is Lamaya Devi, a 16th-century Rajput princess who was renowned for her beauty, intellect, and courage. She played a pivotal role in defending her kingdom against invading forces and is celebrated in many folk tales and ballads.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Lamaya Bai, a 19th-century courtesan and poet from the princely state of Lucknow. Her poetry, which often explored themes of love, longing, and spirituality, is still widely studied and appreciated in the Indian literary canon.
In more recent times, Lamaya Goswami was a renowned classical dancer and choreographer from the 20th century. She was instrumental in reviving and popularizing the Odissi dance form, which originated in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. Goswami's contributions to the preservation of Indian cultural heritage were widely recognized, and she received numerous honors and accolades during her lifetime.
Beyond the Indian subcontinent, the name Lamaya has also found resonance in other parts of the world. Lamaya Khaireddin was a 19th-century Syrian activist and educator who advocated for women's rights and established several schools for girls in the region. Her efforts paved the way for greater educational opportunities for women in the Middle East.
Lamaya Blaise was a 20th-century French-Canadian author and philosopher whose works explored existentialism and the human condition. Her seminal work, "The Unnamable," is considered a cornerstone of experimental literature and has influenced generations of writers and thinkers.
People
Lamaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lamaya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lamaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lamaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 692 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lamaya 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 495,310 US residents.
Is Lamaya a common name?
We classify Lamaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 701 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lamaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Lamaya was 2008, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lamaya is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lamaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lamaya 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.
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.