girl's name
Inaya
ee-NY-a
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 36,709
the United States
#776
2025 births
Inaya is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "care" or "protection." It comes from ʿināya, the word for solicitude and attentive concern, and describes God's providence as much as human care.
- Inaya is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in France in 2024, when 2,010 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 1,786 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1997.
Inaya over time
Births per decade in France, 1990s to 2020s. Inaya is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 15 |
| 2000s | 1,235 |
| 2010s | 15,985 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 11,515 |
What Inaya means
Inaya means care, concern or protection — attentive looking-after rather than guarding. In religious usage it names divine providence, the sense in which God attends to creation.
Where Inaya comes from
Inaya comes from the Arabic ʿināya, from the root ʿ-n-y, concerning attention and taking trouble over something. The word carries a warmer sense than the English protection suggests: it is the care taken over something valued, and in theology it names divine providence. The name is recent in wide use and belongs to the same rising cluster as Ayah, Ayat and Ayra — short Arabic names that have climbed sharply in Britain over the last two decades.
Inaya in use
Our data shows Inaya peaking in 2024 and still rising, at 167 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records only in 1997, making it one of the newest names on this site — and its British ranking considerably outpaces its American one.
How popular is Inaya?
In 2025, Inaya was given to 295 babies in England and Wales, ranking #167 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Inaya is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Inaya is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Ïnaya | Ïnaya is a rare spelling of Inaya, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 75 times, mostly in France. | 75 |
| Inâya | Inâya is a rare spelling of Inaya, written with a circumflex and recorded about 40 times, mostly in France. | 40 |
| Inäya | Inäya is a rare spelling of Inaya, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 20 times, mostly in France. | 20 |
| Inaÿa | Inaÿa is a variant spelling of Inaya, recorded in France. | 10 |
Names that peaked alongside Inaya
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Inaya also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Inaya over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Inaya
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.
Inaya 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.
Sibling names for Inaya
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Inaya — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Inaya
What does the name Inaya mean?
Inaya means "care" or "protection," from the Arabic ʿināya, attentive concern.
Is Inaya the same as Anaya?
No. Anaya has disputed Sanskrit, Hebrew and Igbo readings; Inaya is straightforwardly Arabic.
Is Inaya a new name?
Very. Our records first show it in 1995, and it is still rising.
How popular is the name Inaya?
In 2025, Inaya was given to 295 babies in England and Wales, ranking #167 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Inaya a girl's or a boy's name?
Inaya is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Inaya most popular?
Inaya peaked in 2024, when 2,010 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Inaya?
Inaya is usually shortened to Nay and Ina.
Is Inaya a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Inaya currently ranks #14 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.