Rhaya
A feminine name derived from Arabic, meaning "one who nurtures or tends to flowers".
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the first name Rhaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Rhaya today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rhaya births was 2014 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rhaya. 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
148
~ 1 in 2,315,908 Americans
Peak year
2014
12 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,132
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Rhaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rhaya 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 72 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rhaya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rhaya 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 Rhaya 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 Rhaya
The name Rhaya is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was the classical literary language of ancient India. It is thought to have derived from the Sanskrit word "raya," meaning "wealth" or "prosperity." The name's roots can be traced back to the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.
Rhaya was a relatively common name among the ancient Hindu communities of the Indian subcontinent. It was often bestowed upon children as a symbol of well-being and abundance. The name gained particular popularity during the classical period of Indian history, which lasted from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rhaya can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Rhaya is mentioned as the name of a minor character, a princess from the kingdom of Kashi (modern-day Varanasi). This reference dates back to around the 4th century BCE.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Rhaya. One such figure was Rhaya Devi, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 12th century CE. She was renowned for her contributions to the field of Sanskrit literature and is believed to have been a patron of the arts.
Another prominent individual with the name Rhaya was Rhaya Shastri (1876-1952), an Indian philosopher and social reformer. He was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement and played a significant role in promoting the ideals of non-violence and civil disobedience.
In the realm of art and culture, Rhaya Bhushan (1924-2002) was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was widely recognized for her contributions to the revival and preservation of the Kathak dance form, a classical dance style from northern India.
Rhaya Singh (1938-2015) was a distinguished Indian physicist and academic. She made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics and served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lucknow from 1996 to 2001.
Lastly, Rhaya Kapoor (born 1981) is a contemporary Indian actress and model. She has appeared in numerous Bollywood films and television shows and is known for her work in the entertainment industry.
People
Rhaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rhaya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rhaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rhaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 148 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rhaya 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 2,315,908 US residents.
Is Rhaya a common name?
We classify Rhaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 149 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rhaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Rhaya was 2014, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rhaya is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rhaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rhaya 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.