Nalaya
A unique feminine name of unknown origin, possibly meaning "lotus flower".
Name Census estimates that about 574 living Americans carry the first name Nalaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nalaya today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nalaya births was 2021 (49 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nalaya. 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 Nalaya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
574
~ 1 in 597,133 Americans
Peak year
2021
49 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,162
Tracked since 2002
Census
Nalaya in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 311 people with the first name Nalaya, which placed it at #28,739 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,739
National first-name rank
People counted
311
311 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
55.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nalaya
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nalaya is Black at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.9%) and Two or More Races (12.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nalaya described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nalaya at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American55.0% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino20.9% · 65
- Two or more races12.5% · 39
- White8.4% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 4
Popularity
Nalaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nalaya 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 282 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nalaya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nalaya 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 Nalaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nalayas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Nalaya, while South Carolina, Ohio, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nalaya
The name Nalaya is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the second millennium BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "nalaya," which means "abode" or "dwelling place." It is possible that the name was initially used to describe a person who lived in a peaceful and harmonious environment.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Nalaya can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Nalaya is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought bravely in the great battle of Kurukshetra. However, there are no specific details provided about this character or the significance of their name.
In the 9th century CE, a Hindu philosopher and scholar named Nalaya Pandita lived in Kashmir, which was a major center of learning during that time. Nalaya Pandita was known for his contributions to the field of Nyaya philosophy, which emphasizes the use of logic and reason in the pursuit of knowledge.
During the 12th century, there was a renowned Sanskrit poet named Nalaya Mitra who lived in Bengal, India. Nalaya Mitra was a prolific writer and is best known for his work titled "Nalaya Mitra Kavya," which is a collection of poems that explore various themes such as love, nature, and spirituality.
In the 16th century, a Hindu saint and mystic named Nalaya Goswami lived in the region of Vrindavan, India. Nalaya Goswami was a disciple of the famous saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and played a significant role in the Bhakti movement, which emphasized devotion and love for the divine.
Another notable figure with the name Nalaya was a 19th-century Indian scholar and linguist named Nalaya Bhatta. Nalaya Bhatta was born in Kerala and made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit grammar and literature. He is best known for his work titled "Nalaya Bhatta Vyakarana," which is a comprehensive treatise on Sanskrit grammar.
While the name Nalaya may not be as common in modern times, it continues to hold historical and cultural significance, particularly in the Indian subcontinent. The name's origins in Sanskrit and its association with ancient texts and scholars make it a meaningful and distinctive name choice.
People
Nalaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nalaya 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
Nalaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nalaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 574 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nalaya 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 597,133 US residents.
Is Nalaya a common name?
We classify Nalaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 579 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nalaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Nalaya was 2021, when 49 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nalaya is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nalaya in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 311 people with the name Nalaya, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,739 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nalaya in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nalaya?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nalaya leans strongly female. 308 people counted with this name were female (97.5%), compared with 8 male bearers (2.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nalaya?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nalaya is Black at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.9%) and Two or More Races (12.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nalaya most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Nalaya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.0% (171 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Nalaya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nalaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nalaya 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 Nalaya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nalaya 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 Nalaya 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.
How many people have Nalaya as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.