girl's name
Alaya
uh-LAY-uh
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 13,774
the United States
#368
2025 births
Alaya is a girl's name with two unrelated sources. In Arabic it relates to Alia, meaning exalted or sublime; in Sanskrit alaya means a dwelling or abode — the second half of Himalaya, the abode of snow. Both are in genuine use.
- Alaya is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in 2020, when 915 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,975 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1979.
Alaya over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 |
| 1980s | 41 |
| 1990s | 324 |
| 2000s | 1,616 |
| 2010s | 4,065 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,044 |
What Alaya means
Alaya means exalted through the Arabic root, and a dwelling place through the Sanskrit. The two have nothing to do with each other, and which applies depends entirely on the family choosing it.
Where Alaya comes from
Alaya draws on two separate languages. The Arabic Alia or Aaliyah comes from a root meaning high, exalted or sublime, and is among the most widely used names in the Arabic-speaking world. The Sanskrit alaya means an abode or resting place and is best known as the second element of Himalaya, from hima, snow — the abode of snow. It also names the alayavijnana, the storehouse consciousness in Yogacara Buddhism. English-speaking families use Alaya from both directions, and a third group simply as a modern respelling of Aaliyah, which is how it entered our records in 1979.
Alaya in use
Alaya charts in six of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2020.
How popular is Alaya?
In 2025, Alaya was given to 834 babies in the United States, ranking #368 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Alaya is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Alaya
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alaya also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alaya over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Alaya
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Alaya in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Arabic
- Aaliyah
Sibling names for Alaya
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alaya — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alaya
What does the name Alaya mean?
Exalted, through the Arabic Alia, or a dwelling place, through the Sanskrit alaya. The two sources are unrelated.
Is Alaya the same as Aaliyah?
They share the Arabic root and many families use Alaya as a respelling of Aaliyah, but Alaya also has a separate Sanskrit source.
What does alaya mean in Himalaya?
Abode. Himalaya is hima, snow, plus alaya, abode — the abode of snow.
How popular is the name Alaya?
In 2025, Alaya was given to 834 babies in the United States, ranking #368 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Alaya a girl's or a boy's name?
Alaya is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Alaya most popular?
Alaya peaked in 2020, when 915 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Alaya?
Alaya is usually shortened to Lala and Aya.
Is Alaya a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alaya currently ranks #249 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.