Urja
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "energy" or "vigor".
Name Census estimates that about 50 living Americans carry the first name Urja. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Urja today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Urja births was 2020 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Urja. 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 Urja with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Urja. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
50
~ 1 in 6,855,087 Americans
Peak year
2020
9 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2022 SSA rank
#17,551
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Urja: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Urja from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 37 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Urja remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Urja 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 Urja 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 Urja
The name Urja is derived from the Sanskrit language, one of the oldest and most influential languages in the world, with origins dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE in ancient India. It is a feminine name that stems from the Sanskrit word "urj," which means energy, vigor, and strength.
In Hinduism, the concept of urja holds significant importance, as it represents the vital force that animates all living beings and the universe itself. The name Urja embodies this energetic and powerful essence, making it a popular choice among Hindu families seeking to imbue their children with qualities of strength and vitality.
The earliest known reference to the name Urja can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Upanishads and the Vedas, where it is mentioned in various contexts related to the cosmic energy that permeates the universe. The name gained further prominence during the classical era of Indian literature, appearing in works of notable poets and scholars.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Urja was Urja Devi, a renowned Hindu mystic and spiritual teacher who lived in the 9th century CE. She was revered for her wisdom and devotion, and her teachings on the nature of consciousness and the divine energy within all beings continue to inspire many followers today.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Urja, including Urja Narayanan, an influential 12th-century philosopher and scholar whose works on metaphysics and epistemology were widely studied across India. Urja Bhatt, a celebrated 16th-century poet and mystic, is also remembered for her profound literary contributions that explored themes of love, devotion, and the human experience.
In more recent times, Urja Chakraborty, a 19th-century social reformer and activist, played a pivotal role in advocating for women's rights and education in India. Her efforts paved the way for greater gender equality and social progress.
Another noteworthy individual was Urja Desai, a pioneering scientist and researcher who made significant contributions to the field of renewable energy technologies in the 20th century. Her groundbreaking work on solar power and sustainable energy solutions has had a lasting impact on the global effort to combat climate change.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the name Urja throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and embodying the essence of energy, vitality, and strength that the name represents.
People
Urja + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Urja as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Urja: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Urja?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 50 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Urja 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 6,855,087 US residents.
Is Urja a common name?
We classify Urja as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 51 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Urja most popular?
The single biggest year for Urja was 2020, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Urja is about 18 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 Urja in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Urja a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Urja 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 Urja still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Urja 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 Urja 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 Urja?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.