Adannaya f IgboMeans
"eldest daughter of her father" in Igbo.
Alaya f English (Modern)Variant of
Alayah. It coincides with a Buddhist term (meaning "dwelling" in Sanskrit), which refers to the eighth level of human consciousness.
Aliya 2 f HebrewMeans
"ascent" in Hebrew, a derivative of
עָלָה (ʿala) meaning "to ascend, to climb". This is also a Hebrew word referring to immigration to Israel.
Anaya f English (Modern)Meaning unknown, possibly from the Spanish surname
Anaya (itself from the name of a Spanish town), used because of its similarity to
Amaya.
Arya 1 m & f Persian, Hindi, MalayalamFrom an old Indo-Iranian root meaning "Aryan, noble". In India, this is a transcription of both the masculine form
आर्य and the feminine form
आर्या. In Iran it is only a masculine name.
Arya 2 f LiteratureCreated by author George R. R. Martin for a popular character in his series
A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation
Game of Thrones (2011-2019). In the story Arya is the second daughter of Ned Stark, the lord of Winterfell.
Asiya f Arabic, UrduPossibly from Arabic
أسي (ʾasiya) meaning
"to be distressed, to be grieved". According to Islamic tradition this was the name of the wife of the pharaoh at the time of
Moses. She took care of the infant Moses and later accepted monotheism.
Aya 1 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
彩 (aya) meaning "colour",
綾 (aya) meaning "design", or other kanji characters with the same pronunciation.
Aya 2 f ArabicMeans
"sign, evidence" or
"verse" in Arabic, as in one of the passages that make up the Quran.
Aya 3 f Semitic MythologyMeans
"dawn" in Akkadian. In Akkadian mythology this was the name of the goddess of the dawn, associated with sexual appeal and beauty. She was the consort of the sun god
Shamash. The Babylonians sometimes called her
kallatum meaning "the bride".
Cataleya f Various (Rare)Variant of
cattleya, a genus of orchids native to Central and South America, which were named for the British horticulturist William Cattley. This name was popularized by the main character from the movie
Colombiana (2011).
Danya 1 f HebrewFeminine form of
Dan 1. It can also be considered a compound meaning
"judgement from God", using the element
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.
Derya f TurkishMeans
"sea, ocean" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
Freya f Norse Mythology, English (Modern), GermanFrom Old Norse
Freyja meaning
"lady". This is the name of a goddess associated with love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claims half of the heroes who are slain in battle and brings them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother
Freyr and father
Njord, she is one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess
Frigg.
... [more] Haniyya f ArabicFrom Arabic
هنيء (hanīʾ) meaning
"pleasant, beneficial", from the root
هنأ (hanaʾa) meaning "to gladden, to enjoy".
Haya f ArabicMeans
"hurry, come quickly" in Arabic.
Hrachya m ArmenianMeans
"eyes of fire", from Old Armenian
հուր (hur) meaning "fire" and
աչք (achk) meaning "eyes, sight". This name was mentioned by the 5th-century Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi as belonging to an early Armenian king.
Huriya f Arabic (Rare)Means
"nymph, heavenly maiden" in Arabic, referring to the houris, who are beautiful maidens who dwell in the Islamic afterlife.
Ibolya f HungarianMeans
"violet" in Hungarian, ultimately from Latin
viola.
Ifunanya f IgboMeans
"love" in Igbo (literally "to see in one's eye").
Iya f RussianMeaning unknown. This name was borne by Saint Ia of Persia, a 4th-century martyr who is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Jaya f & m Hinduism, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, MarathiDerived from Sanskrit
जय (jaya) meaning
"victory". In Sanskrit this is a transcription of both the feminine form
जया (long final vowel) and the masculine form
जय (short final vowel), both of which are used as names or epithets for several characters in Hindu texts. As a modern personal name, this transcription is both feminine and masculine in southern India, but typically only feminine in the north.
Kaguya f LiteratureMeans
"bright, shining" in Japanese. It is spelled with the kanji
赫 (kagaya) meaning "bright" and
映 (ya) meaning "reflect". The name originates from the old Japanese folktale
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, about a bamboo cutter who finds a tiny baby in a bamboo stalk and names her
Kaguya-hime "shining princess". When she grows up she rejects all proposals for marriage (including that from the Emperor) and eventually returns to her true home on the moon.
... [more] Kartikeya m HinduismFrom Sanskrit
कृत्तिका (Kṛttikā), the Indian name for the constellation the Pleiades, ultimately from
कृत् (kṛt) meaning "to cut, to divide". This is another name for the Hindu god
Skanda, given because he was raised by the Krttikas.
Kausalya f HinduismMeans
"of the Kosala people" in Sanskrit. Kosala was an ancient Indian kingdom that was at its most powerful in the 6th century BC. Kausalya is the mother of the hero
Rama in the Hindu epic the
Ramayana.
Kazuya m JapaneseFrom Japanese
一 (kazu) meaning "one" or
和 (kazu) meaning "harmony, peace" combined with
也 (ya) meaning "to be, also". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
Kenya f English, African AmericanFrom the name of the African country. The country is named for Mount Kenya, which in the Kikuyu language is called
Kĩrĩnyaga meaning "the one having stripes". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 1960s.
Lamya f ArabicDerived from the poetic Arabic word
لمى (lamā) meaning
"dark red lips".
Lisakhanya f & m Xhosa, ZuluMeans
"still shining" in Xhosa and Zulu, from the roots
sa "still, continuing" and
khanya "to shine".
Mahpiya m & f SiouxFrom Dakota or Lakota
maȟpíya meaning
"cloud, sky". This is the first part of the names of the Dakota chief Mahpiya Wicasta (1780-1863), known as Cloud Man, and the Lakota chiefs Mahpiya Luta (1822-1909), known as Red Cloud, and Mahpiya Iyapato (1838-1905), known as Touch the Clouds.
Maya 2 f EnglishVariant of
Maia 1. This name can also be given in reference to the Maya, an indigenous people of southern Mexico and parts of Central America whose civilization flourished between the 3rd and 8th centuries. A famous bearer was the American poet and author Maya Angelou (1928-2014).
Munya f ArabicMeans
"wish, desire" in Arabic, related to the root
منا (manā) meaning "to tempt, to put to the test".
Mutemwiya f Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
mwt-m-wjꜣ meaning
"Mut is in the sacred barque", from the name of the goddess
Mut combined with
wjꜣ "sacred barque" (a boat used to carry the dead to the afterlife). This name was borne by a wife of the pharaoh
Thutmose IV. She was the mother of
Amenhotep III.
Mwenya f & m ChewaFrom the Chewa word for a type of flowering tree (species Breonadia salicina).
Nadiyya f ArabicMeans
"announcement, call" in Arabic, derived from
نادى (nādā) meaning "to call, to announce, to invite".
Nitya f & m Hinduism, HindiMeans
"always, eternal" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form
नित्या (an epithet of the Hindu goddess
Durga) and the masculine form
नित्य.
Noya f HebrewDerived from Hebrew
נוֹי (noi) meaning
"beauty, ornament".
Rajiya f ArabicMeans
"hope" in Arabic, derived from
رجا (rajā) meaning "to hope, to anticipate".
Raniya f ArabicPossibly related to the Arabic root
رنا (ranā) meaning
"to gaze, to look intently".
Rawiya f ArabicMeans
"storyteller" in Arabic, derived from
روى (rawā) meaning "to relate, to tell".
Roya f PersianMeans
"dream" in Persian, of Arabic origin, derived from
رأى (raʾā) meaning "to see, to perceive".
Ruqayya f ArabicDerived either from Arabic
رقيّ (ruqīy) meaning
"rise, ascent" or from
رقية (ruqya) meaning
"spell, charm, incantation". Both of these words are derived from the Arabic root
رقي (raqiya) meaning "to rise". This was the name of one of the daughters of the Prophet
Muhammad. She became a wife of
Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. The name was also borne by daughters of
Ali and
Husayn.
Ruya f ArabicMeans
"vision, sight" in Arabic, a derivative of
رأى (raʾā) meaning "to see, to perceive".
Sanjaya m HinduismMeans
"completely victorious, triumphant" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a royal official in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata.
Sethunya f TswanaMeans
"bloom, flower" in Tswana, derived from
thunya "to bloom".
Shin'ya m JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" combined with
也 (ya) meaning "also", as well as other kanji combinations having the same pronunciation.
Sonya f Russian, EnglishRussian diminutive of
Sophia. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel
War and Peace (1869, English translation 1886).
Sumayya f ArabicMeans
"high, elevated, lofty" in Arabic, derived from
سما (samā) meaning "to be high". This was the name of the first martyr for Islam.
Takuya m JapaneseFrom Japanese
拓 (taku) meaning "expand, open, support" combined with
也 (ya) meaning "also" or
哉 (ya), an exclamation. This name can be formed with other kanji combinations as well.
Tatsuya m JapaneseFrom Japanese
達 (tatsu) meaning "achieve" combined with
也 (ya) meaning "to be". Other kanji combinations having the same reading are also possible.
Tetsuya m JapaneseFrom Japanese
哲 (tetsu) meaning "philosophy" combined with
也 (ya) meaning "to be". Other combinations of kanji with the same reading can form this name as well.
Thurayya f ArabicMeans
"the Pleiades" in Arabic. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus.