| Ira | Prisha | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | the earth; goddess of speech | beloved, dear one |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EE-rah | PREE-shah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (222) | 2017 (207) |
| In 2025 | 222 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ira | Prisha |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,053 | 994 |
| 2010s | 980 | 1,483 |
| 2000s | 131 | 537 |
| 1990s | 96 | 0 |
| 1980s | 151 | 0 |
| 1970s | 191 | 0 |
| 1960s | 318 | 0 |
| 1950s | 553 | 0 |
| 1940s | 657 | 0 |
| 1930s | 657 | 0 |
| 1920s | 900 | 0 |
| 1910s | 652 | 0 |
| 1900s | 359 | 0 |
| 1890s | 255 | 0 |
| 1880s | 172 | 0 |
From Sanskrit ira (इरा), 'the earth; waters; speech', and a name of the goddess of speech and learning (linked to Saraswati). Cross-cultural: Ira is also a Hebrew male name and a Slavic short form of Irina.
A modern name usually traced to Sanskrit for 'beloved, dear'. It is also widely glossed 'God's gift' and linked to Lakshmi, but that reading is popular rather than documented and its Sanskrit basis is unsettled (an Arabic 'gift' root is also cited).
Ira is more popular than Prisha today: about 222 US babies were given the name Ira in 2025, compared with 0 named Prisha.
Ira means the earth; goddess of speech (sanskrit origin), while Prisha means beloved, dear one (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Ira first appears in 1880 and Prisha in 0, so Prisha has the longer recorded history.