Arya
Top 1000
About Arya
Arya was derived from an Indo-Iranian word meaning "Aryan" or "noble." It is a masculine given name in Iran, Indonesia, Bali, and Sanskrit-speaking regions of India. In Hindu- and English-speaking parts of the world, Arya is more often a feminine name, the latter influenced by the similar Italian name Aria, meaning "air" or "song."
The prime impetus of Arya's rise is the fiercely independent young character Arya Stark in the TV series Game of Thrones, based on the George R. R. Martin books A Song of Fire and Ice. Another influence is the Elven princess in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle trilogy, basis of the movie Eragon.
The name resembles the musical Aria and the male Aryan, both also growing in popularity in the US. Arya entered the popularity charts in 2010.
Pronounced AHR-yuh.
As of October 2026, Arya ranked #158 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #92 in 2019, Nameberry popularity #437.
Editor: Sophie Kihm
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #216 | 1,556 | 871 |
| 2015 | #200 | 1,644 | 921 |
| 2016 | #169 | 1,898 | 1,071.1 |
| 2017 | #135 | 2,168 | 1,255.7 |
| 2018 | #119 | 2,556 | 1,502.6 |
| 2019 | #92 | 3,050 | 1,817.2 |
| 2020 | #113 | 2,372 | 1,467.3 |
| 2021 | #120 | 2,330 | 1,420 |
| 2022 | #122 | 2,343 | 1,428.5 |
| 2023 | #139 | 2,012 | 1,253.9 |
| 2024 | #162 | 1,863 | 1,149.9 |
| 2025 | #158 | 1,858 | 1,156 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Arya.
- Amaya
- Amara
- Kaia
- Maia
- Leilani
- Leilia
- Amari
- Kiara
- Ariella
- Kira
- Daeja
- Ayla
- Kiera
- Alessia
- Talia
- Mira
- Alaia
- Arielle
- Liana
- Alora
Arya on lists
Famous Aryas
- Arya Jones (b. 2013)
daughter of American,New Zealand basketballer Marcel Jones
Arya in pop culture
- Arya Stark
character in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" and "Game of Thrones" series
- Arya Drottningu
Elven princess in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle
- Game of Thrones pronunciation: "ARE
yuh." Author George R.R. Martin himself has pointed out that a surprisingly large number of people pronounce it incorrectly: it consists of two syllables, not three. Martin explained: "I say it 'Are,ya,' two syllables not three. Not 'are,ee,uh,' not like an operatic thing [aria], but 'Are,ya,' very sharp. I wanted something that was like a knife, that was a sharp and hard sound, to be a contrast to the flowery 'Sansa.'"