Xaya
A unique feminine name with possible Hebrew roots, meaning "protected" or "sheltered".
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Xaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Xaya today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xaya births was 2021 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xaya. 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 Xaya with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Xaya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
2021
8 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2022 SSA rank
#17,625
Tracked since 2020
Popularity
Xaya: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Xaya 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 Xaya 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 | 0 | 19 | 19 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Xaya
The name Xaya is believed to have its origins in ancient Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages in the world, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "kshaya," which means "destruction" or "decay." This could suggest that the name was initially associated with concepts of impermanence or the cyclical nature of existence.
In Hindu mythology, there are references to a character named Kshaya, who was said to be the personification of decay and the inevitable decline of all things. However, the name Xaya itself does not appear to have any direct mentions in ancient Hindu scriptures or texts.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Xaya can be traced back to the 6th century CE, where it was used by a few individuals in various parts of the Indian subcontinent. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Xaya Devi, a princess from the Chalukya dynasty, who lived in the present-day state of Karnataka, India, around the year 650 CE.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals with the name Xaya, although not many have left a significant mark on the historical record. In the 12th century, there was a scholar and poet named Xaya Mishra, who hailed from the city of Varanasi in northern India. His works, primarily focused on Hindu philosophy and theology, were widely studied and celebrated during his time.
Another figure of note was Xaya Bai, a 16th-century warrior and ruler from the Bundela clan in central India. She is known for her bravery and military prowess, leading her forces in several battles against the Mughal Empire and other rival kingdoms.
In the 19th century, there was a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer named Xaya Chandra Vidyarnava, who made significant contributions to the field of astronomical calculations and the development of Hindu calendars.
Lastly, a more recent historical figure with the name Xaya was Xaya Devi Lakshminarayan Subbarao, a social reformer and educator from the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, who lived from 1888 to 1978. She was a pioneer in promoting women's education and advocating for the rights of the underprivileged in her region.
People
Xaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xaya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with X
Other first names starting with X with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Xaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xaya 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 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Xaya a common name?
We classify Xaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Xaya was 2021, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xaya is about 5 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 Xaya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Xaya 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 Xaya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xaya 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 Xaya 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 common is the name Xaya?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Xaya at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.