Tarya
A feminine name meaning "star" in Sanskrit.
Name Census estimates that about 42 living Americans carry the first name Tarya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Tarya today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tarya births was 2006 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tarya. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tarya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
42
~ 1 in 8,160,818 Americans
Peak year
2006
7 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2015 SSA rank
#14,354
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Tarya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tarya from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 12 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tarya 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 Tarya 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 Tarya
The name Tarya has its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India, dating back to around the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "tārā," meaning "star" or "celestial body." This name was often associated with the goddess Tara, a revered figure in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, known for her wisdom and compassion.
In Hinduism, the name Tara is linked to various goddesses, including Tara Devi, the consort of Lord Brahma, and Tara Bhagavati, an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. In Buddhism, the name is associated with the Green Tara, a female Buddha who represents enlightened activity and is revered as the embodiment of compassion and wisdom.
The name Tarya can be found in ancient Hindu texts, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata, where it is mentioned in connection with various celestial beings and deities. It is also referenced in Buddhist scriptures, particularly those related to the veneration of the Green Tara.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Tarya is found in the Sanskrit epic poem, the Ramayana, where it is mentioned as the name of a celestial nymph. The name gained popularity among Hindu and Buddhist communities across South and Southeast Asia, and it has been used by several notable historical figures.
One famous bearer of the name was Tara Devi (1675-1759), a Hindu queen and the wife of Raja Ram Singh I of Marwar (now part of Rajasthan, India). She was renowned for her beauty, intelligence, and her patronage of arts and literature.
Another notable figure was Tara Rani (1878-1970), an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer. She played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and worked tirelessly for women's education and empowerment.
In the realm of literature, the name Tarya is associated with Tara Chand (1889-1964), an eminent Indian writer and scholar who made significant contributions to Hindi literature and literary criticism.
In the field of arts, Tara Chaudhri (1915-1982) was an acclaimed Indian classical dancer and choreographer, known for her contributions to the revival and promotion of the Kathak dance form.
Lastly, Tara Devi Bahadur (1926-2022) was a Nepalese politician and social activist who played a crucial role in the democratic movement in Nepal and fought for women's rights and social justice.
People
Tarya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tarya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tarya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tarya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 42 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tarya 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 8,160,818 US residents.
Is Tarya a common name?
We classify Tarya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 44 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tarya most popular?
The single biggest year for Tarya was 2006, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tarya is about 30 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 Tarya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Tarya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Tarya 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 Tarya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Tarya 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 Tarya 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 are called Tarya?
You can see how many Americans are named Tarya on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.