girl's name
Amaya
a-MY-a
- Origin Basque
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 55,118
the United States
#180
2025 births
Amaya is a girl's name with several unrelated origins. It is a Basque place name meaning "the end," a Japanese reading meaning "night rain," and a Spanish surname — and sources disagree because all are genuine.
- Amaya is a name of Basque origin.
- Peaked in 2018, when 2,280 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,924 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1972.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Amaya 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 | 40 |
| 1980s | 104 |
| 1990s | 1,106 |
| 2000s | 15,265 |
| 2010s | 16,288 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,744 |
What Amaya means
Amaya has no single meaning. Basque gives the end or mother city, Japanese gives night rain, and some sources add a Sanskrit reading. Which applies depends entirely on the family.
Where Amaya comes from
The Basque Amaya, or Amaia, comes from amai, the end, and is also the name of a mountain and an ancient settlement in Burgos; Navarro Villoslada's 1879 novel Amaya made it a Basque national name. The Japanese 雨夜 can be read Amaya, from ame, rain, and ya, night. A Spanish surname of the same spelling exists separately from the place name. Because three traditions arrived at one spelling, English-language reference works stack the meanings without explaining that they belong to different languages.
Amaya in use
Our data shows Amaya peaking in 2018 and still rising, at 123 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1972. It sits in the same rising vowel-led cluster as Maya, Anaya, Ayla and Amara — names sharing a shape rather than a root, which is how a sound becomes fashionable independently of meaning.
How popular is Amaya?
In 2025, Amaya was given to 1,723 babies in the United States, ranking #180 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Amaya 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 Amaya
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Amaya also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Amaya over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Amaya
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.
Amaya 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.
- Basque
- Amaia
Sibling names for Amaya
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Amaya — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Amaya
What does the name Amaya mean?
There is no single meaning. Basque gives "the end," Japanese gives "night rain," and it is separately a Spanish surname.
Is Amaya Japanese or Basque?
Both, independently. Three traditions arrived at the same spelling, which is why reference works stack the meanings.
Are Amaya and Maya the same name?
No. Maya has its own Sanskrit, Hebrew and Greek readings. The two names are unrelated but often grouped by sound.
How popular is the name Amaya?
In 2025, Amaya was given to 1,723 babies in the United States, ranking #180 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Amaya a girl's or a boy's name?
Amaya is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Amaya?
Amaya has 3 syllables.
When was Amaya most popular?
Amaya peaked in 2018, when 2,280 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Amaya?
Amaya is usually shortened to Maya and Ama.
Is Amaya a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Amaya currently ranks #123 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.