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