Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Lya isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1968. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 971
- 0 boys · 971 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 64 babies
- 2025
- 60
- #2,845 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 60 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,845 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 8.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 64 in 2019. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (12). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 758 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.
Lya’s family of names
The ring: across languages.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Lya
- Lya Marastar of the German silent cinema (1897-1960)1893–1969
- Lya LysAmerican actress (1908-1986)
- Lya LuftBrazilian writer (1938–2021)
- Lya Imberfirst female physician in Venezuela (1914-1981)
- Lya BergerFrench writer (1877–1941)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lya, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.