Zariya
Feminine given name of Urdu origin meaning "shining" or "blooming".
Name Census estimates that about 1,880 living Americans carry the first name Zariya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zariya today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zariya births was 2011 (109 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zariya. 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
- • Zariya is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.9K
~ 1 in 182,316 Americans
Peak year
2011
109 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,905
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Zariya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zariya from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 878 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Zariya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zariya 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 Zariya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zariyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. Texas, Florida, Georgia recorded the most babies named Zariya, while Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 52 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zariya
The name Zariya has its origins in the Persian language and culture, with roots dating back to ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) and the Zoroastrian religion. It is derived from the Persian word "zar," meaning gold, and is believed to have been initially used as a name to signify beauty, radiance, and preciousness.
One of the earliest known references to the name Zariya can be found in the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, which were composed between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. In these texts, there are mentions of individuals with names similar to Zariya, such as Zariyas and Zarir, suggesting the name's longstanding presence in the Persian linguistic and cultural landscape.
During the medieval period, the name Zariya gained popularity among Persian nobility and intellectuals. In the 10th century, there was a notable Persian scholar and poet named Zariya Ibn Yahya al-Munajjim, who made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and astrology. Another prominent figure bearing the name was Zariya al-Samarkandi, a renowned 11th-century mathematician and astronomer from the city of Samarkand (modern-day Uzbekistan).
As Persian culture and influence spread throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, the name Zariya also found its way into other languages and cultures. In the 13th century, there was a prominent Sufi mystic and poet named Zariya Qushji, who wrote extensively on spiritual themes and was respected for his wisdom and insight.
Moving into more recent times, one of the most famous individuals named Zariya was Zariya Sokolova (1890-1971), a Russian ballerina and choreographer who made significant contributions to the art of ballet in the early 20th century. She was renowned for her graceful movements and her innovative approach to choreography.
Another notable figure was Zariya Novruzova (1910-1983), an Azerbaijani actress and film director who played a pioneering role in the development of cinema in the Soviet Union. She directed several acclaimed films and was recognized for her artistic vision and storytelling abilities.
While these are just a few examples, the name Zariya has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and cultures.
People
Zariya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zariya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zariya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zariya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,880 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zariya 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 182,316 US residents.
Is Zariya a common name?
We classify Zariya as "Rare". It ranks above 93.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,898 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zariya most popular?
The single biggest year for Zariya was 2011, when 109 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zariya is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zariya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zariya 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.