Naiya
A modern feminine name of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from Sanskrit.
Name Census estimates that about 1,574 living Americans carry the first name Naiya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Naiya today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Naiya births was 2014 (81 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Naiya. 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.
Key insights
- • Naiya is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 217,760 Americans
Peak year
2014
81 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,726
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Naiya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Naiya from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 640 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
Naiya 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 Naiya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Naiyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. California, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Naiya, while Virginia, Maryland, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 41 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Naiya
The name Naiya is of Sanskrit origin and can be traced back to ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "naya," which means "guide" or "leader." The name has been in use since the Vedic period, which dates back to around 1500 BCE.
Naiya was a popular name among the Kshatriya caste, which comprised the warriors and rulers of ancient India. In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Naiya was the name of a prince who was known for his bravery and leadership skills. The name is also mentioned in the Puranas, which are ancient Hindu texts that describe the creation, preservation, and dissolution of the universe.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Naiya can be found in the Ashoka inscriptions, which date back to the 3rd century BCE. These inscriptions were written by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka and mention a person named Naiya who was a high-ranking official in his court.
Throughout history, there have been several notable people with the name Naiya. In the 7th century CE, Naiya was the name of a Buddhist monk who traveled to China and helped spread Buddhism in the region. Another famous Naiya was a Rajput warrior who fought against the Mughal Empire in the 16th century.
During the 19th century, Naiya was the name of a prominent Indian freedom fighter who participated in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company. In more recent times, Naiya Iqbal was a Pakistani politician who served as a member of the National Assembly from 2008 to 2013.
Other notable people with the name Naiya include Naiya Patel, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who has performed around the world, and Naiya Bhatt, an Indian actress who has appeared in several Bollywood films.
People
Naiya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Naiya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Naiya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Naiya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,574 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Naiya 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 217,760 US residents.
Is Naiya a common name?
We classify Naiya as "Rare". It ranks above 92.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,595 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Naiya most popular?
The single biggest year for Naiya was 2014, when 81 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Naiya is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Naiya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Naiya 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.