| Aadhya | Diya | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | first, primordial | Lamp, light |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AAD-hyah | DEE-yuh |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1991 |
| Peak year | 2017 (291) | 2009 (309) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 119 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aadhya | Diya |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,502 | 789 |
| 2010s | 1,937 | 2,313 |
| 2000s | 37 | 1,916 |
| 1990s | 0 | 61 |
From Sanskrit adya (आद्या), feminine 'first, primordial, the beginning'; used as an epithet of the primordial Goddess (Adi Shakti / Durga).
From the Hindi दीया (diyā), 'an oil lamp', descended from the Sanskrit dīpa ('lamp, light'). A genuine, everyday Hindi word evoking the lamps of Diwali.
Diya is more popular than Aadhya today: about 119 US babies were given the name Diya in 2025, compared with 0 named Aadhya.
Aadhya means first, primordial (sanskrit origin), while Diya means Lamp, light (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Aadhya first appears in 0 and Diya in 1991, so Aadhya has the longer recorded history.