UK girl's name
Oraya
A Spanish name meaning "light", derived from the Latin word "aurora".
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.
Oraya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Oraya popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3695, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 6 births.
This profile covers 9 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2019 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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.
Oraya is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 9 living people in the UK are called Oraya. 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
- • Oraya ranked #3695 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 6 girls were registered as Oraya.
- • About 9 living people in the UK are estimated to have Oraya as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3695
2024
Births in 2024
6
Latest year
Peak year
2024
6 births
Estimated living
9
2026
Meaning
What does Oraya mean?
The name Oraya is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "araya," which means "honorable" or "noble." The name was likely used in the region that is now modern-day India and parts of South Asia during the Vedic period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Oraya can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic poem that is considered one of the longest epic poems in the world. The Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 8th century BCE, mentions a character named Oraya, who was a warrior and a follower of the Pandava prince Arjuna.
In the 5th century BCE, a renowned Indian philosopher and mathematician named Oraya Akshapada lived. He was a member of the Vaisheshika school of Indian philosophy and is credited with writing the influential philosophical text "Vaisheshika Sutra."
During the Gupta Empire, which ruled over parts of the Indian subcontinent from around the 4th to the 6th century CE, there was a king named Oraya Vikramaditya. He was known for his patronage of the arts and sciences and is believed to have commissioned several literary works and architectural projects.
In the 11th century CE, a famous Indian poet and scholar named Oraya Bhatta lived. He was a master of Sanskrit literature and is best known for his work "Subhashitaratna-bhāṇḍāgāra," a collection of poetic verses and aphorisms.
Another notable figure with the name Oraya was Oraya Kavi, a 17th-century Indian poet and playwright from the Vijayanagara Empire. He is renowned for his contribution to the Telugu language and literature, particularly his work "Raghavapandaviyam," which is considered a masterpiece of Telugu poetic literature.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Oraya over time
The chart below shows babies named Oraya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2019 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 Oraya, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oraya by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Oraya 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 | #3695 | 6 | 1 |
| 2010s | #5591 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Oraya
- Olivia 123,111
- Orla 10,799
- Olive 6,815
- Ophelia 4,939
- Ottilie 4,407
- Oliwia 2,608
- Ocean 1,811
- Orlaith 1,357
- Olivia-Rose 1,250
- Octavia 1,243
- Olivia-Grace 618
- Orlagh 608
FAQ
Oraya: questions and answers
How popular is the name Oraya in the UK right now?
In 2024, Oraya was ranked #3695 for girls in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.
When was Oraya most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 6 babies registered as Oraya in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Oraya?
A Spanish name meaning "light", derived from the Latin word "aurora".
How many people are called Oraya in the UK?
A total of 9 babies have been registered as Oraya across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.