NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Alaya

An Arabic girls' name derived from Alayah meaning "loftiness" or "sublime".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Alaya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Alaya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #225, with 212 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 212 births.

This profile covers 1,424 England and Wales registrations across 25 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

Alaya is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 1,521 living people in the UK are called Alaya. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Alaya ranked #225 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 212 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 212 girls were registered as Alaya.
  • Alaya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #275 in 2024.
  • About 1,521 living people in the UK are estimated to have Alaya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#225

2024

Births in 2024

212

Latest year

Peak year

2024

212 births

Estimated living

1,521

2026

Meaning

What does Alaya mean?

The name Alaya originates from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that has its roots in the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "alaya," which means "abode" or "dwelling place." This term is often used in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy to refer to the repository or storehouse of past impressions and experiences within the mind.

In Hindu mythology, Alaya is mentioned as the name of a river or stream, and it is sometimes associated with the concept of a divine or sacred abode. The name has been found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, although specific references are scarce.

The earliest recorded use of the name Alaya can be traced back to the 7th century CE. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Alaya Rama, a Hindu philosopher and scholar who lived during the Pallava dynasty in South India. He is known for his commentaries on various philosophical texts and his contributions to the study of Advaita Vedanta.

In the 12th century, there was a famous Indian poet and scholar named Alaya Vamana, who was known for his work on Sanskrit grammar and poetics. He is believed to have been born in the present-day state of Karnataka in South India.

Another notable figure was Alaya Devi, a Hindu queen who ruled the Sena Empire in Bengal, India, during the late 12th century. She is renowned for her patronage of art, literature, and architecture, as well as her skills in warfare and governance.

In the field of Hindustani classical music, Alaya Khansahib was a celebrated Dhrupad singer and musician who lived in the 17th century. He is credited with preserving and propagating the Dhrupad tradition, which is one of the oldest forms of Hindustani classical music.

During the 19th century, there was an Indian philosopher and reformer named Alaya Prasad Tiwari, who played a significant role in the Bengal Renaissance movement. He advocated for social and educational reforms, particularly in the areas of women's rights and education.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Alaya. The name has a rich heritage and is deeply rooted in the cultural and philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent, reflecting the concept of a sacred dwelling place or repository of knowledge and experiences.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Alaya over time

The chart below shows babies named Alaya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Alaya, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 212 births in 2024, compared with 212 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Alaya
053106159212199620102024

Decades

Alaya by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Alaya was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #267 880 5
2010s #1159 490 10
2000s #3352 37 6
1990s #3206 17 4

Geography

Where Alaya is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Alaya. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Alaya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #275 in 2024.

Scotland
13
Northern Ireland
5

Across the UK

Alaya in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#275 in 2024

10 years of NRS records, 79 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#305 in 2022

6 years of NISRA records, 25 total registered

Related

Names similar to Alaya

FAQ

Alaya: questions and answers

How popular is the name Alaya in the UK right now?

In 2024, Alaya was ranked #225 for girls in England and Wales, with 212 births registered.

When was Alaya most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 212 babies registered as Alaya in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Alaya?

An Arabic girls' name derived from Alayah meaning "loftiness" or "sublime".

How many people are called Alaya in the UK?

A total of 1,424 babies have been registered as Alaya across the 25 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 79 more in Scotland and 25 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Alaya most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Alaya ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #275 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.