Arya
Say it: AR-ya
GirlMeans noble4 letters2 syllables
#196
in Ireland (2025)
#199 with spellings combined
22
babies in 2025
#167
best rank (2021)
234
babies since 2012
Up 164
10-year rank change
Arya through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22 | #199 |
| 2024 | 13 | #310 |
| 2023 | 27 | #176 |
| 2022 | 17 | #257 |
| 2021 | 29 | #167 |
| 2020 | 17 | #255 |
| 2019 | 17 | #273 |
| 2018 | 15 | #296 |
| 2017 | 23 | #219 |
| 2016 | 22 | #217 |
| 2015 | 13 | #363 |
| 2014 | 8 | #500 |
| 2013 | 6 | #590 |
| 2012 | 5 | #679 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Arya mean?
Noble
Sanskrit, from arya (noble, respectable).
Say it right
ARya
Some families say it in three syllables, AR-ee-a, which makes it sound the same as Aria.
The story of Arya
Arya comes from the Sanskrit word arya, meaning noble or respectable. In ancient India and Iran it was a word people used for themselves, and it has long been a given name in South Asia, for boys as well as girls.
In the English-speaking world it took off in the twenty-first century. Part of the reason is fiction: Arya Stark is a central character in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and the television series Game of Thrones, and there is also an Arya in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle. Some parents also treat it as a spelling of the similar-sounding Aria.
Arya first appears in the CSO records in 2012, with 5 girls. It peaked in 2021, when 29 girls got the name and it reached number 167. In 2025 it was number 196, with 22 babies. The CSO counts Arya and Aria separately, and Aria is the more common of the two.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Arya (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Arya (name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Arya | 22 | 234 |
In Northern Ireland
#397 in 2025 with 3 babies. Best rank #166 (2020); 115 babies since 2012.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.