Samaya
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- sa-MY-a
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,409 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #1,747 for girls
Samaya is a girls' name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “time; sacred vow”. In 2025 it ranked 3,409th for girls in the UK (7 babies) and 1,747th for girls in the US (116 babies).
What does Samaya mean?
Sanskrit: Sanskrit word; in the US perhaps also heard as Sam + Maya
“time; sacred vow”
In Vajrayana Buddhism, samaya is the sacred commitment between teacher and student.
Is Samaya a girl's or a boy's name?
Samaya is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 7 girls in the UK and 116 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Samaya in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,409among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 7about 1 in 40,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 117% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 7 girls in the UK were named Samaya, making it the 3,409th most popular name for girls. Its busiest year was 2015, with 8 girls.
Half of all the girls named Samaya in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 10 girls in the UK were given Samaya or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #2,226, up from #3,409 for this spelling alone.
- Samaya 7
- Samayah 3
Among girls in 2025, it was 3,332nd in England and Wales.
Samaya in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #3,409 |
| 2024 | 3 | #5,966 |
| 2023 | 3 | #5,929 |
| 2022 | 8 | #3,050 |
| 2021 | 3 | #5,824 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 1 | #7,346 |
| 2018 | 5 | #4,204 |
| 2017 | 3 | #5,998 |
| 2016 | 8 | #3,105 |
| 2015 | 8 | #3,114 |
| 2014 | 7 | #3,321 |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,953 |
| 2012 | 6 | #3,881 |
| 2011 | 4 | #4,980 |
| 2010 | 5 | #4,220 |
| 2009 | 7 | #3,201 |
| 2008 | 7 | #3,203 |
| 2007 | 5 | #3,858 |
| 2006 | 7 | #2,940 |
| 2005 | 5 | #3,543 |
| 2004 | 3 | #4,789 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 4 | #3,427 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 3 | #4,041 |
How popular is Samaya in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,747among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 116about 1 in 14,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 18% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 116 girls in the US were named Samaya, making it the 1,747th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,115th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 221 girls. It first appears in the records in 1980.
It has been given to more girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had more girls named Samaya than any year since 2017.
Half of all the girls named Samaya in the US since 1880 were born between 2007 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 146 girls in the US were given Samaya or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,293, up from #1,747 for this spelling alone.
Samaya in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 116 | #1,747 |
| 2024 | 99 | #1,980 |
| 2023 | 86 | #2,195 |
| 2022 | 80 | #2,319 |
| 2021 | 96 | #2,007 |
| 2020 | 86 | #2,115 |
| 2019 | 81 | #2,249 |
| 2018 | 88 | #2,145 |
| 2017 | 121 | #1,744 |
| 2016 | 123 | #1,719 |
| 2015 | 117 | #1,778 |
| 2014 | 112 | #1,818 |
| 2013 | 143 | #1,529 |
| 2012 | 200 | #1,214 |
| 2011 | 211 | #1,160 |
| 2010 | 121 | #1,720 |
| 2009 | 177 | #1,349 |
| 2008 | 195 | #1,274 |
| 2007 | 221 | #1,157 |
| 2006 | 170 | #1,359 |
| 2005 | 106 | #1,837 |
| 2004 | 90 | #2,028 |
| 2003 | 76 | #2,240 |
| 2002 | 74 | #2,225 |
| 2001 | 42 | #3,252 |
| 2000 | 41 | #3,266 |
| 1999 | 28 | #4,084 |
| 1998 | 19 | #5,359 |
| 1997 | 13 | #6,839 |
| 1996 | 14 | #6,387 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 8 | #9,580 |
| 1993 | 5 | #13,435 |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 5 | #10,390 |
Names like Samaya
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Safa Aaliyah Safiya Zainab Sumayyah Hafsa Amaya Amira Maya Khadija Hiba Ayah
Other spellings of Samaya
Names related to Samaya
Sama Samiya Samia Samah Samaa Summaya Sammy Samya Zamaya Samyah
More Sanskrit names
Bodhi Arya Lila Arjun Aarav Rohan Kali Aryan Opal Arjan Vihaan Aadhya Avyaan Ishaan Siya Leena
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, “Samaya: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/samaya, updated 20 October 2026.