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Kaya as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Kaya

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The baby name Kaya is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KAY-uh (/ˈkeɪə/),KAH-yah (/ˈkɑːjə/),KYE-uh (/ˈkaɪə/).

Kaya is Japanese, Scandinavian, Turkish in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 2.0
Pronunciation: KAY-uh (/ˈkeɪə/),KAH-yah (/ˈkɑːjə/),KYE-uh (/ˈkaɪə/)

What is the meaning of the name Kaya ?

The baby name Kaya is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KAY-uh (/ˈkeɪə/),KAH-yah (/ˈkɑːjə/),KYE-uh (/ˈkaɪə/).

Kaya is Japanese, Scandinavian, Turkish in Origin.

Kaya is a multicultural given name with several independent roots. In Turkish, kaya means “rock, cliff,” giving the name a sturdy, nature-linked sense and long use as a surname and unisex given name. In Japanese, it can be written with kanji such as 榧 “kaya tree” (Torreya) or 茅 “miscanthus/reed,” yielding varied nuances. Hebrew usage treats Kaya as a modern spelling of Chaya, “life.” In South Asia, Sanskrit kāyā denotes “body, form,” informing Indian-language use.

International usage expanded in the late 20th century; in Northern Europe and the Baltics it overlaps with Kaia/Kaja, linked either to Katarina/Katherine (“pure”) or, in Estonian, to kaja “echo.” Awareness in the United States rose after the 2002 American Girl character Kaya of the Nez Perce. Variants and related forms include Kaia, Kaja, Caia, Khaya, and Chaya; nicknames may be Kay or Kai.

Kaya has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Kaya

Kaya Scodelario Actor · Born 1992 · United Kingdom Kaya Scodelario is an English actress and model best known for playing Effy Stonem in Skins. She rose to fame through the E4 series and earned two Golden Nymph nominations for the role.

Kaya – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2024 #1 911
Ireland Boys 2011 #1 779
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
TM Girls 0 #35 1 574
MT 0 #41 3 1,767
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
SI 0 #80 1 1,612
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
ID Girls 0 #102 1 3,319
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
BN Girls 0 #113 2 5,459
Norway Girls 2024 #117 5 444
Switzerland Girls 2024 #119 17 1,786
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
IQ 0 #132 2 3,533
RS Girls 0 #132 6 1,651
MT Girls 0 #133 19 3,773
Switzerland Boys 2024 #135 3 1,769
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
BW Girls 0 #151 1 4,216
SI Girls 0 #175 3 2,769
Sweden Girls 2022 #177 3 1,568
Sweden Boys 2021 #181 3 1,578
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
CZ 0 #183 4 3,154
AE 0 #187 1 10,220
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
RU 0 #191 4 3,641
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
PL 0 #210 3 2,600
AO Girls 0 #216 2 4,575
BG Boys 0 #219 2 3,850
BG Girls 0 #227 5 3,559
JP Girls 0 #227 19 6,592
IR 0 #228 4 4,221
MO Boys 0 #233 2 5,842
NA Girls 0 #236 2 7,146
BD 0 #239 3 5,992
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
Canada Girls 2024 #248 38 2,795
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
JM Girls 0 #250 10 7,507
NA Boys 0 #252 2 6,830
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
MO Girls 0 #258 6 7,056
GR Boys 0 #271 3 6,912
AF Boys 0 #273 2 3,535
SG 0 #282 1 11,010
HR Girls 0 #287 8 3,687
TW Girls 0 #287 3 8,139
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
KZ Boys 0 #294 3 6,578
Canada Boys 2024 #299 8 2,588
DK Girls 0 #299 18 7,429
CZ Boys 0 #300 6 6,530
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
SA 0 #312 1 10,560
DK Boys 0 #326 7 7,401
CN Boys 0 #327 5 9,639
TR 0 #327 5,480 19,440
KZ Girls 0 #328 5 5,862
JO Girls 0 #333 7 7,570
CN Girls 0 #337 13 8,829
GH Girls 0 #337 1 6,973
QA Girls 0 #338 6 15,378
HK 0 #339 10 8,483
PL Girls 0 #339 16 5,096
PL Boys 0 #339 2 6,459
CZ Girls 0 #344 8 5,378
MY 0 #353 2 12,352
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
MU Girls 0 #361 2 8,539
MU Boys 0 #366 4 8,477
BD Girls 0 #367 20 8,413
NL 0 #377 15 2,481
PT Boys 0 #379 3 7,951
OM Girls 0 #384 13 15,987
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
France Girls 2021 #391 15 3,185
Austria Boys 0 #399 44 2,180
Germany 0 #406 32 2,542
PH Boys 0 #407 2 11,440
Austria Girls 0 #410 11 1,885
France Boys 2012 #412 3 2,840
PH Girls 0 #427 3 13,098
ZA 0 #433 15 14,421
CL 0 #434 1 6,867
MX 0 #442 4 8,339
SD Boys 0 #459 8 10,523
RU Girls 0 #465 34 11,913
PT Girls 0 #467 5 7,952
IQ Girls 0 #488 17 11,303
CO 0 #510 1 7,768
PS Girls 0 #513 11 10,981
RU Boys 0 #522 5 12,621
CM Girls 0 #530 11 11,671
UY Girls 0 #536 1 6,731
CM Boys 0 #539 12 12,054
IR Girls 0 #541 5 8,334
AE Girls 0 #542 12 20,968
IR Boys 0 #542 11 10,162
HK Boys 0 #549 9 12,905
LY 0 #555 5 12,703
KW Girls 0 #558 4 19,177
PS Boys 0 #559 3 10,655
CR Girls 0 #567 7 11,342
BH 0 #582 6 17,937
HK Girls 0 #584 32 16,104
IQ Boys 0 #596 72 13,071
IL Girls 0 #598 20 11,648
BD Boys 0 #599 7 10,045
IN Girls 0 #611 21 13,121
IL Boys 0 #623 3 10,983
SG Girls 0 #624 9 18,916
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
LB 0 #645 14 13,263
BO Girls 0 #649 3 9,488
United States Girls 2024 #650 268 8,487
Finland Boys 2026 #675 8 3,552
IT 0 #705 10 4,183
Finland Girls 2026 #724 15 3,895
SG Boys 0 #731 9 17,960
QA Boys 0 #735 9 18,093
Germany Girls 0 #742 97 4,949
KW Boys 0 #759 11 18,755
SY 0 #763 5 11,684
Germany Boys 0 #773 180 5,697
NL Boys 0 #801 151 5,873
NL Girls 0 #811 145 5,933
TN 0 #816 14 13,765
NG Girls 0 #823 4 15,093
OM Boys 0 #861 21 17,948
United States Boys 2024 #875 18 7,044
CL Girls 0 #912 4 14,098
SA Girls 0 #917 19 25,931
EG Boys 0 #922 4 15,035
ZA Boys 0 #949 231 25,619
EG Girls 0 #950 10 14,742
MY Girls 0 #966 29 24,821
BR Girls 0 #988 5 12,708
NG Boys 0 #995 7 16,906
MA 0 #1,005 124 20,986
PE Girls 0 #1,006 5 14,861
IN Boys 0 #1,032 8 16,750
MX Boys 0 #1,033 1 16,355
DZ 0 #1,053 124 20,130
MY Boys 0 #1,061 51 25,439
CO Girls 0 #1,063 16 16,140
ZA Girls 0 #1,063 79 25,928
AE Boys 0 #1,079 14 22,615
MX Girls 0 #1,160 24 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,402 45 9,415
IT Boys 0 #1,453 19 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,567 48 28,008

Kaya is popular in 82 countries — most recent births per country:

Canada
France
Scotland, United Kingdom
Switzerland
United States

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Kaya

Kaya is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Kaya is a 2 syllable name, pronounced KAY-uh (/ˈkeɪə/),KAH-yah (/ˈkɑːjə/),KYE-uh (/ˈkaɪə/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Kaia, Kaja, Kya, Kiya, Kayah and Kaija.
Across languages, Kaya has these equivalents: Petra (rock), Katherine / Kate (related to Kaia meaning 'pure'), Kaia / Kaja (closely related variants).
Yes, very popular — Kaya ranked #1 in Ireland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Kaya ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2024).
Yes — 1 notable people named Kaya are in our database, including Kaya Scodelario (Actor).