Kaya
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- KY-a
- Origin
- Turkish
- UK rank, 2025
- #776 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #1,132 for girls
Unisex
Kaya is a name of Turkish origin, meaning “rock”. In 2025 it ranked 776th for girls in the UK (51 babies) and 1,132nd for girls in the US (206 babies).
What does Kaya mean?
Turkish: Turkish word; also an unrelated Japanese name
“rock”
Turkish word for rock, used as a boys' name in Turkey; it also occurs independently as a Japanese name.
Is Kaya a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Kaya has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 51 girls and 35 boys in the UK and 206 girls and 15 boys in the US.
How popular is Kaya in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #776among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 51about 1 in 5,500 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 51 girls in the UK were named Kaya, making it the 776th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 529th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 109 girls. 35 boys were also named Kaya in 2025 (968th for boys).
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Kaya than any year since 2003.
Half of all the girls named Kaya in the UK since 1996 were born between 2005 and 2018. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 343 girls in the UK were given Kaya or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #185, up from #776 for this spelling alone.
In 2025, 59% of the babies named Kaya in the UK were girls.
Among girls in 2025, it was 792nd in England and Wales and 539th in Scotland.
Kaya in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 51 | #776 |
| 2024 | 71 | #595 |
| 2023 | 79 | #534 |
| 2022 | 87 | #504 |
| 2021 | 71 | #596 |
| 2020 | 83 | #529 |
| 2019 | 73 | #603 |
| 2018 | 68 | #653 |
| 2017 | 76 | #609 |
| 2016 | 73 | #631 |
| 2015 | 109 | #449 |
| 2014 | 94 | #503 |
| 2013 | 96 | #484 |
| 2012 | 93 | #516 |
| 2011 | 83 | #550 |
| 2010 | 106 | #448 |
| 2009 | 72 | #587 |
| 2008 | 73 | #572 |
| 2007 | 66 | #602 |
| 2006 | 67 | #581 |
| 2005 | 57 | #624 |
| 2004 | 66 | #534 |
| 2003 | 48 | #658 |
| 2002 | 65 | #509 |
| 2001 | 77 | #446 |
| 2000 | 70 | #477 |
| 1999 | 53 | #577 |
| 1998 | 31 | #813 |
| 1997 | 53 | #560 |
| 1996 | 78 | #434 |
How popular is Kaya in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,132among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 206about 1 in 7,800 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 5% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 206 girls in the US were named Kaya, making it the 1,132nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,055th. Its busiest year was 2004, with 528 girls. It first appears in the records in 1968. 15 boys were also named Kaya in 2025 (5,859th for boys).
2025 had fewer girls named Kaya than any year since 1999.
Half of all the girls named Kaya in the US since 1880 were born between 2003 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 2,618 girls in the US were given Kaya or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #128, up from #1,132 for this spelling alone.
In 2025, 93% of the babies named Kaya in the US were girls.
Kaya in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 206 | #1,132 |
| 2024 | 269 | #967 |
| 2023 | 247 | #1,024 |
| 2022 | 254 | #1,019 |
| 2021 | 254 | #1,006 |
| 2020 | 236 | #1,055 |
| 2019 | 268 | #971 |
| 2018 | 254 | #1,021 |
| 2017 | 282 | #935 |
| 2016 | 282 | #960 |
| 2015 | 326 | #856 |
| 2014 | 264 | #1,000 |
| 2013 | 357 | #761 |
| 2012 | 331 | #810 |
| 2011 | 383 | #722 |
| 2010 | 357 | #765 |
| 2009 | 426 | #683 |
| 2008 | 480 | #641 |
| 2007 | 428 | #684 |
| 2006 | 447 | #643 |
| 2005 | 435 | #640 |
| 2004 | 528 | #541 |
| 2003 | 519 | #539 |
| 2002 | 499 | #549 |
| 2001 | 410 | #612 |
| 2000 | 301 | #757 |
| 1999 | 192 | #1,052 |
| 1998 | 162 | #1,159 |
| 1997 | 133 | #1,301 |
| 1996 | 113 | #1,444 |
| 1995 | 82 | #1,757 |
| 1994 | 71 | #1,967 |
| 1993 | 71 | #1,962 |
| 1992 | 59 | #2,234 |
| 1991 | 54 | #2,350 |
| 1990 | 38 | #2,952 |
| 1989 | 30 | #3,396 |
| 1988 | 29 | #3,301 |
| 1987 | 24 | #3,621 |
| 1986 | 16 | #4,721 |
| 1985 | 19 | #4,125 |
| 1984 | 19 | #3,989 |
| 1983 | 14 | #4,883 |
| 1982 | 15 | #4,714 |
| 1981 | 18 | #4,161 |
| 1980 | 7 | #8,177 |
| 1979 | 14 | #4,841 |
| 1978 | 23 | #3,283 |
| 1977 | 7 | #7,565 |
| 1976 | 10 | #5,599 |
| 1975 | 12 | #4,852 |
| 1974 | 9 | #5,775 |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 5 | #8,290 |
| 1971 | 7 | #6,617 |
| 1970 | 6 | #7,069 |
| 1969 | 6 | #6,615 |
| 1968 | 6 | #6,244 |
Names like Kaya
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Raya Maya Safa Anaya Amaya Ayla Khadija Zainab Hafsa Ayah Hiba Amira
Other spellings of Kaya
Names related to Kaya
More Turkish names
Aylin Alara Ayda Orhan Ayzel Aydin Aslan Eren Evren Ayaz Ela Aylah Aleyna Deniz Demir Selin
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kaya: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kaya, updated 20 October 2026.