Shivaya
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "wife of Shiva" or "divine mother".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Shivaya. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Shivaya today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shivaya births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shivaya. 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 Shivaya with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shivaya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,879
Tracked since 2022
Gender
Gender distribution for Shivaya
Shivaya is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 10 total registrations, 5 (50.0%) were male and 5 (50.0%) were female.
Shivaya as a male name
- Ranked #13,879 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (5 births)
Shivaya as a female name
- Ranked #17,398 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2022 (5 births)
Popularity
Shivaya: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Shivaya 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 Shivaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 5 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Shivaya
The name Shivaya finds its origins in the Sanskrit language, an ancient Indo-Aryan tongue that flourished in the Indian subcontinent. Its roots can be traced back to the revered Vedic texts, which are among the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, composed between 1500 BCE and 500 BCE. The name Shivaya is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Shiva,' which holds profound significance in Hindu mythology and theology.
Shiva is one of the principal deities in Hinduism, often referred to as the Supreme Lord or the Auspicious One. The name Shivaya is a variation of the name Shiva, and it is believed to have been used as a name by devotees of the deity, seeking blessings and divine protection. In the ancient Puranas and other sacred texts, Shiva is depicted as the destroyer and transformer, representing the cosmic cycle of creation, preservation, and dissolution.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shivaya can be found in the Shiva Purana, a sacred Hindu text that dates back to the 7th century CE. In this text, Shivaya is mentioned as a name of reverence and devotion, often used in prayers and invocations to the Lord Shiva. Throughout the centuries, the name has been carried by numerous individuals, some of whom have left a lasting impact on the cultural and spiritual landscape of the Indian subcontinent.
Notable historical figures with the name Shivaya include Shivaya Subramanya Iyer (1884-1975), a renowned Indian philosopher, and author who played a significant role in the revival of Advaita Vedanta philosophy in the 20th century. Another prominent figure was Shivaya Swami (1826-1887), a renowned spiritual leader and yogi who was revered for his teachings on the path of self-realization.
In the realm of literature, Shivaya Kaviraj (1550-1633) was a celebrated Bengali poet and playwright who made significant contributions to the development of the Bengali language and literature during the 16th and 17th centuries. Additionally, Shivaya Namboodiri (1705-1770) was a distinguished scholar and grammarian from Kerala, who authored several works on Sanskrit grammar and philosophy.
Shivaya Yogananda (1893-1952) was a prominent Indian yogi and spiritual teacher who introduced millions of people worldwide to the teachings of yoga and meditation. His birth name was Mukunda Lal Ghosh, but he later adopted the name Shivaya Yogananda, reflecting his deep devotion to the divine principles of Shiva and yoga.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Shivaya, a name that continues to hold significant cultural and spiritual resonance, particularly in the Hindu tradition.
People
Shivaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shivaya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shivaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shivaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shivaya 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Shivaya a common name?
We classify Shivaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shivaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Shivaya was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shivaya is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Shivaya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shivaya a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Shivaya 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 Shivaya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shivaya 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 Shivaya 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Shivaya?
You can see how many people have the name Shivaya on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.