| Diya | Riya | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lamp, light | singer; graceful |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | DEE-yuh | REE-yah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1991 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2009 (309) | 2005 (291) |
| In 2025 | 119 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Diya | Riya |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 789 | 1,146 |
| 2010s | 2,313 | 2,525 |
| 2000s | 1,916 | 2,341 |
| 1990s | 61 | 261 |
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.
Commonly given as Sanskrit-derived riya (रिया), 'singer' or 'graceful'. It is not well attested in classical Sanskrit literature, so this meaning is popular rather than firmly documented.
Diya is more popular than Riya today: about 119 US babies were given the name Diya in 2025, compared with 0 named Riya.
Diya means Lamp, light (sanskrit origin), while Riya means singer; graceful (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Diya first appears in 1991 and Riya in 0, so Riya has the longer recorded history.