Shiya
A unisex name of uncertain origin, possibly related to the Hebrew shîr meaning "song".
Name Census estimates that about 251 living Americans carry the first name Shiya. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 81.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Shiya today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shiya births was 2015 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shiya. 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
251
~ 1 in 1,365,555 Americans
Peak year
2015
25 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2021 SSA rank
#10,607
Tracked since 1989
Gender
Gender distribution for Shiya
Shiya leans heavily female at 81.1% of total registrations, but 48 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shiya as a male name
- Ranked #10,607 in 2021
- 7 male births in 2021
- Peak: 2008 (9 births)
Shiya as a female name
- Ranked #17,278 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (16 births)
Popularity
Shiya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shiya 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 111 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
Shiya 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 Shiya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shiyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Shiya
The name Shiya is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language originating in South Asia. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "Shri," which means radiance, prosperity, or auspiciousness. The name Shiya can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, where it was often used as a name for deities or characters associated with divine qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shiya is found in the Rig Veda, a sacred Hindu scripture dating back to around 1500 BCE. In the Rig Veda, the name Shiya is mentioned in connection with a character described as a celestial being or a divine personification of light and radiance.
In ancient Hindu mythology, Shiya was also the name of a beautiful apsara (celestial nymph) who was known for her extraordinary beauty and grace. She is mentioned in the Puranas, which are ancient Hindu texts that narrate stories and legends about the creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Shiya. One of the earliest recorded examples is Shiya, a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 5th century CE. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is credited with developing a method for calculating the circumference of the Earth.
In the 10th century, Shiya was the name of a prominent Chola king who ruled over parts of modern-day Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. He was known for his military conquests and for patronizing the arts and literature during his reign.
Another notable figure named Shiya was a 16th-century Mughal princess who was the daughter of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. She was known for her intelligence and her love for poetry and literature.
In more recent times, Shiya was the name of a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer who lived in the 20th century. She was instrumental in reviving and popularizing the ancient Indian dance form of Kathak.
Lastly, Shiya was also the name of a prominent Indian politician and social activist who fought for women's rights and played a significant role in the Indian independence movement in the early 20th century.
People
Shiya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shiya 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
Shiya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shiya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 251 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shiya 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 1,365,555 US residents.
Is Shiya a common name?
We classify Shiya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 254 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shiya most popular?
The single biggest year for Shiya was 2015, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shiya is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shiya a female name?
Yes, 81.1% of people registered as Shiya 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.