| Meera | Ananya | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | the devotee Mirabai; sea, boundary | unique, matchless |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MEE-rah | uh-NUN-yah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1965 | 1995 |
| Peak year | 2025 (246) | 2008 (214) |
| In 2025 | 246 | 52 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Meera | Ananya |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,221 | 538 |
| 2010s | 1,561 | 1,679 |
| 2000s | 716 | 1,652 |
| 1990s | 424 | 141 |
| 1980s | 222 | 0 |
| 1970s | 89 | 0 |
| 1960s | 26 | 0 |
Best known for the 16th-century saint-poet Mirabai, devotee of Krishna. The word mira (मीरा) is glossed 'sea, ocean, boundary/limit'. Cross-cultural: Mira also means 'peace' in Slavic and occurs in Arabic and Latin naming.
From Sanskrit ananya (अनन्य), 'without another, unique, matchless'; also 'undivided' in the sense of single-minded devotion. Well established.
Meera is more popular than Ananya today: about 246 US babies were given the name Meera in 2025, compared with 52 named Ananya.
Meera means the devotee Mirabai; sea, boundary (sanskrit origin), while Ananya means unique, matchless (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Meera first appears in 1965 and Ananya in 1995, so Meera has the longer recorded history.