Given name & surname
Derya
“sea”
Derya is a feminine given name. It is used in Turkish.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Derya is a romanization of دریا. دریا comes from Old Anatolian Turkish, and ultimately from Middle Persian.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1984. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Derya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 173
- 0 boys · 173 girls
- Most popular year
- 1991
- 11 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −84%
- Cooling
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 11 in 1991. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 493 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Derya’s family of names
In Ottoman Turkish usage, Derya is a Roman-alphabet rendering of دریا.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Derya
- Derya AlaboraTurkish actor (born 1959)
- Derya KaradaşTurkish actor (born 1981)
- Derya BüyükuncuTurkish swimmer (born 1976)
- Derya CebecioğluTurkish volleyball player (born 2000)
- Derya YanıkTurkish attorney and statesperson (born 1972)
- Derya UluğTurkish singer (born 1986)
- Derya ErkeTurkish swimmer (1983–2025)
- Derya ArhanTurkish association football player (born 1999)
- Derya ÇayırganTurkish volleyball player (born 1987)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Derya, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Fushia
“resembling the flower”
>99% girls
Laryn
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Araxi
“from the river of inspiration”
>99% girls
Butterfly
Butterfly is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “resembling a beautiful and colorful winged insect.”
>99% girls
Yasmeen
“resembling the jasmine flower”
>99% girls
Aylena
“from the oak tree”
>99% girls
Ayanna
“one who is innocent” · “resembling a beautiful flower”
>99% girls
Ravyn
Ravyn is a variant of Raven. Interpretations include “resembling the black bird; a dark and mysterious beauty” (English) and “resembling the blackbird; a dark and mysterious man” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
1% boys · 99% girls