NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Meya

A feminine name of Hindi origin meaning "cloud".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Meya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Meya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5669, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2009, with 11 births.

This profile covers 103 England and Wales registrations across 18 recorded years from 2004 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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.

The latest count is about 27% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 105 living people in the UK are called Meya. 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 2023 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Meya ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales in 2022, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2009, when 11 girls were registered as Meya.
  • Meya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #810 in 2011.
  • About 105 living people in the UK are estimated to have Meya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5669

2022

Births in 2022

3

Latest year

Peak year

2009

11 births

Estimated living

105

2026

Meaning

What does Meya mean?

The name Meya has its origins in ancient Sanskrit, the classical language of India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "maya," which means "illusion" or "magic." This name likely first appeared in Hindu religious texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, which were composed between the 2nd millennium BCE and the 3rd century BCE.

Meya was a relatively uncommon name in ancient India, but it gained popularity during the medieval period. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the 7th century CE, referring to a Buddhist monk and scholar named Meya Shrivatsa, who authored several treatises on Buddhist philosophy.

In the 12th century, Meya Tantra was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet from the Pala Empire in eastern India. Her works, which included poetry and commentaries on Hindu scriptures, were widely studied and celebrated during her lifetime.

During the Mughal era in the 16th century, Meya Bai was a prominent female poet and mystic who composed devotional poetry in the Braj Bhasha language. Her poetry, which celebrated love and devotion to the Hindu deity Krishna, is still widely read and appreciated today.

In the 19th century, Meya Nandan Mishra was a celebrated Indian scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit grammar and literature. He authored several influential works, including a comprehensive dictionary of the Sanskrit language.

Meya has also been used as a name in other cultures and regions, albeit less commonly. For example, in the 20th century, Meya Sangingkun was a prominent Indonesian artist and painter known for her vibrant depictions of Balinese culture and landscapes.

While the name Meya is not as common today as it was in ancient and medieval India, it remains a beautiful and meaningful name with a rich cultural heritage. Its association with concepts like illusion, magic, and the mystical aspects of Hindu philosophy make it a unique and intriguing choice for a name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Meya over time

The chart below shows babies named Meya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2004 to 2022. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Meya, the clearest high point is 2009. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2022, compared with 11 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Meya
036811200420132022

Decades

Meya by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Meya 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 #4594 9 2
2010s #3912 56 10
2000s #3423 38 6

Geography

Where Meya is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Meya. 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.

Meya ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #810 in 2011.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Meya in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#810 in 2011

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Related

Names similar to Meya

FAQ

Meya: questions and answers

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

In 2022, Meya was ranked #5669 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Meya most popular?

The peak year on record was 2009, with 11 babies registered as Meya in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Meya?

A feminine name of Hindi origin meaning "cloud".

How many people are called Meya in the UK?

A total of 103 babies have been registered as Meya across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Meya most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Meya ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #810 in 2011. 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.