Aya is a distinctive choice, ranked #232 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Aya in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#232
US Rank #630
About the Name Aya
Aya is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 98 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #223 in 2023 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Aya is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it sits at #630 — notably more popular in the UK than across the Atlantic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Aya
Unlikely. With around 206 UK babies named Aya per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Aya in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Aya is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 98 places over the last five years to #232 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Aya is more popular in the UK (#232) than in the US (#630). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Aya include: Aya Asahina — Aya Asahina is a Japanese model, actress, and YouTuber.; Aya Yamane — Aya Yamane is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Aoni Production.; Aya Shehata — Aya Shehata is an Egyptian taekwondo practitioner..
Aya ranks #630 in the US top 1,000 (2024). It's recognised in America but considerably more popular in the UK.
206
UK babies named Aya (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↑ 98 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Aya
Likely around 1 other Aya in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Aya
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Aya Yamane is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Aoni Production. She is known for voicing Shisel in Magatsu Wahrheit: Zuerst, Ruhuyu in Show by Rock!!, Mikoto Aketa in The Idolmaster Shiny Colors, Daitaku Helios in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, Sui Yamada in World's End Harem, Benisumomo in In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki, Riho Tsukishima in The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses, and Cathy in Sugar Apple Fairy Tale.
Aya Ohori is a former Japanese professional badminton player from Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. She is affiliated with the Tonami Transportation badminton club.
Aya Sugimoto is a Japanese TV personality, actress, dancer, author, gravure idol and singer born in Kyoto. She also had a J-pop career in the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
Aya Sakura is a Japanese professional wrestler. She works for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is one-half of the current New Blood Tag Team Champions in her first reign and a member of Cosmic Angels.
Aya Endō is a Japanese voice actress and narrator from Yamagata Prefecture who is affiliated with Intention. After Yūko Mizutani's death, she took over many of her roles.
Aya Hijazi is an Egyptian-American charity worker and social activist. Together with her husband she founded an NGO "Belady Foundation" to support child political prisoners in Egypt.