Given name & surname
Daya
“resembling a bird of prey”
Daya is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “resembling a bird of prey.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “resembling a bird of prey.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From Sanskrit दया (“pity, mercy, compassion”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1964. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Daya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 935
- 8 boys · 927 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 52 babies
- 2025
- 51
- #3,535 for girls · #9,103 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- 0%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 43 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,535 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 52 in 2018. It also appeared in 8 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,191 as a first name in 2020; 413 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Daya’s family of names
Daya has a related form in Dayana. Daya has a related form in Dayanara. Daya has a related form in Dayah.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Daya
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Daya, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ayla
“from the oak tree”
>99% girls
Ieva
“bird cherry”
>99% girls
Merve
“a friend of the sea”
>99% girls
Briella
Briella is a feminine given name from Hebrew.
>99% girls
Mayim
“water”
>99% girls
Aylena
“from the oak tree”
>99% girls
Aspen
“from the aspen tree”
13% boys · 87% girls
Adaiah
“Yahweh has adorned” · “ornament of the Lord”
16% boys · 84% girls