| Ira | Priya | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | the earth; goddess of speech | Beloved, dear |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EE-rah | PREE-yah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1969 |
| Peak year | 2025 (222) | 2014 (211) |
| In 2025 | 222 | 99 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ira | Priya |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,053 | 700 |
| 2010s | 980 | 1,650 |
| 2000s | 131 | 1,745 |
| 1990s | 96 | 1,342 |
| 1980s | 151 | 809 |
| 1970s | 191 | 308 |
| 1960s | 318 | 8 |
| 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.
From the Sanskrit priya (priyā) meaning 'beloved, dear, cherished'. A well-established Indic 'beloved' root, also the basis of Priyanka.
Ira is more popular than Priya today: about 222 US babies were given the name Ira in 2025, compared with 99 named Priya.
Ira means the earth; goddess of speech (sanskrit origin), while Priya means Beloved, dear (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Ira first appears in 1880 and Priya in 1969, so Ira has the longer recorded history.