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Raya vs Yara

Which is more popular?
Raya is more popular than Yara today: about 831 US babies were given the name Raya in 2025, compared with 0 named Yara.
RayaYara
Meaning Fragrance; or banner Small butterfly (modern Arabic usage)
Origin arabic arabic
Gender Girl Girl
Pronunciation RAH-yah YAH-rah
Syllables 2 2
First appeared19580
Peak year2023 (867)2025 (585)
In 20258310
TrendNear its peakRising
Popularity over time, 1880–2025
Raya Yara
1960198020002020

Source: US Social Security Administration.

Births by decade

DecadeRayaYara
2020s 4,256 3,013
2010s 2,087 2,411
2000s 1,052 1,240
1990s 385 443
1980s 138 299
1970s 64 122
1960s 16 6
1950s 5 0

What does Raya mean?

As an Arabic name Raya has two attested sources: rayya (ريا) 'aroma, fragrance, perfume', and raya (راية) 'flag, banner, ensign'; the intended sense varies by family, so it is best treated as disputed. Disambiguation: Raya also means 'celebration' in Malay (Hari Raya) and appears in Hebrew ('friend') and Slavic use - unrelated origins.

What does Yara mean?

In contemporary Arabic naming Yara (يارا) is most often glossed 'small butterfly'. The etymology is not firmly settled: it is also linked to the Persian yar ('friend, companion, helper'). A separate, unrelated Yara/Iara comes from Brazilian Tupi mythology, so cross-culture care is warranted.

Frequently asked questions

Is Raya or Yara more popular?

Raya is more popular than Yara today: about 831 US babies were given the name Raya in 2025, compared with 0 named Yara.

What is the difference between Raya and Yara?

Raya means Fragrance; or banner (arabic origin), while Yara means Small butterfly (modern Arabic usage) (arabic origin).

Which name is older, Raya or Yara?

In US records, Raya first appears in 1958 and Yara in 0, so Yara has the longer recorded history.