| Riya | Meera | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | singer; graceful | the devotee Mirabai; sea, boundary |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | REE-yah | MEE-rah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1965 |
| Peak year | 2005 (291) | 2025 (246) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 246 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Riya | Meera |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,146 | 1,221 |
| 2010s | 2,525 | 1,561 |
| 2000s | 2,341 | 716 |
| 1990s | 261 | 424 |
| 1980s | 0 | 222 |
| 1970s | 0 | 89 |
| 1960s | 0 | 26 |
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.
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.
Meera is more popular than Riya today: about 246 US babies were given the name Meera in 2025, compared with 0 named Riya.
Riya means singer; graceful (sanskrit origin), while Meera means the devotee Mirabai; sea, boundary (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Riya first appears in 0 and Meera in 1965, so Riya has the longer recorded history.