Maniya
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "gem" or "jewel".
Name Census estimates that about 569 living Americans carry the first name Maniya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maniya today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maniya births was 2006 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maniya. 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
569
~ 1 in 602,380 Americans
Peak year
2006
53 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,740
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Maniya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maniya from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 347 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
Maniya 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 Maniya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maniyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, North Carolina, Virginia recorded the most babies named Maniya, while Maryland, California, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maniya
The name Maniya has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "maniya," which means "honorable" or "respectable." This suggests that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals who were held in high regard within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maniya can be found in the Rig Veda, a sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns composed between 1500 and 1000 BCE. In this text, Maniya is mentioned as a wise and revered sage, though specific details about their life and teachings are scarce.
During the Gupta Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 4th to the 6th century CE, the name Maniya gained popularity among the ruling class and intellectual elite. One notable figure from this period was Maniya Bhattacharya (born c. 450 CE), a renowned scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of logic and epistemology.
In the 11th century, a famous Kashmiri poet and mystic named Maniya Kavi (born c. 1020 CE) gained widespread recognition for his devotional poetry and spiritual teachings. His works, which celebrated the divine love and unity of all beings, continue to be studied and revered by scholars and spiritual seekers alike.
Another notable figure bearing the name Maniya was Maniya Khan (born c. 1550 CE), a skilled military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He played a crucial role in several campaigns, including the conquest of Gujarat, and was renowned for his strategic acumen and bravery on the battlefield.
In more recent times, Maniya Amin (1878-1956) was an influential Indian educator and social reformer who dedicated her life to promoting women's education and empowerment. She founded several schools and educational institutions, and her efforts paved the way for greater access to education for girls and women in her native state of Gujarat.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Maniya, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human achievement.
People
Maniya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maniya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maniya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maniya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 569 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maniya 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 602,380 US residents.
Is Maniya a common name?
We classify Maniya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 576 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maniya most popular?
The single biggest year for Maniya was 2006, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maniya is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maniya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maniya 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.