Arya (name)

Not to be confused with Aria (name).

Arya, also spelled Aarya, Aariya or Ariya (Sanskrit: आर्य/आर्या ārya/āryā), is an Indian name. The Sanskrit word Arya is a surname and a masculine (आर्य ārya) and feminine (आर्या āryā) given name, signifying "honorable" or "noble".^[3][4][5] In India it is a popular masculine given name and a popular surname. In the historically Indianized country of Cambodia, it is usually a name given to girls. In Indonesia, Arya is also commonly used as a masculine given name, usually in Java, Bali, and other places. In Javanese it becomes Aryo, Ario, or Aryono. It is a common name amongst Hindus and Muslims.

Arya

Gender	Unisex
Origin
Word/name	Sanskrit
Meaning	"noble one/noble person"^[1]^[2]
Other names
See also	Aria, Aryan, Ariana

Modern usage

The 2011 television series Game of Thrones features a character named Arya Stark, increasing the name's popularity among Western audiences. In 2013, BBC News wrote that "the passion and the extreme devotion of fans" had brought about a phenomenon unlike anything related to other popular TV series, manifesting itself in a very broad range of fan labor, such as fan fiction,^[6] Game of Thrones-themed burlesque routines, or people naming their children after characters from the series.^[7] In 2012, "Arya" was the fastest-rising girl's name in popularity in the United States, jumping from 711th to 413th position.^{[8] [9]}

It peaked in popularity in the United States in 2019, when it was the 92nd most popular name for newborn girls. It fell to 120th position on the U.S. popularity chart in 2021.^[10] The name entered the top 200 most commonly used names for girls born in England and Wales in 2017.^[11]

Notable persons

From India

• Arya Bhatta (476–550), Indian mathematician
• Aditi Arya (born 1993), Indian model
• Aditya Arya, Indian photographer
• Arya (actor) (born 1980), south Indian actor
• Aarya Ambekar (born 1994), Marathi playback singer
• Aarya Babbar (born 1981), Indian actor
• Arya Gopi, Indian Malayalam-language poet
• Arya Rohit, Indian actress
• A. S. Arya, Indian structural engineer
• Anita Arya, Indian politician from the BJP
• Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya (1914–1995), Indian freedom fighter and popular leader
• Ishan Arya, Indian cinematographer and producer
• Mangilal Arya (1918–1992), Indian freedom fighter and social reformer
• Satyadeo Narain Arya, Indian politician from Bihar
• Shraddha Arya, Indian actress from the Telugu film industry
• Shubhavi Arya (born 1998), Indian animator
• S. N. Arya, Indian physician and writer
• S. P. Y. Surendranath Arya, Indian independence activist
• Yashpal Arya, Indian politician from the National Congress

From Indonesia

• Arya Penangsang, Sultan of Demak (1549–1554)
• Ario Soerjo (1898–1948), murdered Indonesian politician
• Arya Maulana Aldiartama (born 1995), Indonesian badminton player
• I Ngurah Komang Arya (born 1985), Indonesian footballer
• Aryo Danusiri, Indonesian film director
• Aryo Djojohadikusumo, Indonesian politician
• Bima Arya (born 1972), Indonesian politician

From Iran

• Aryo Barzan, an Achaemenid prince who was born in 368 BC and died in 330 BC
• Aryandes, satrap of Persian Egypt
• Ariamnes, satrap of Cappadocia
• Ariyāramna, a minor king in pre-imperial Persia (Pars region) and great-grandfather of Darius I
• Ariobarzanes I of Media Atropatene, ruled from 65 BC to 56 BC
• Ariobarzanes II of Atropatene, grandson of Ariobarzanes I, king of Media Atropatene from 20 BC to 8 BC
• Ariobarzanes I of Cappadocia, king of Cappadocia from 93 BC to ca. 63 or 62 BC
• Akram Monfared Arya (born 1946), first Iranian female pilot
• Fatemeh Motamed-Arya (born 1961), Iranian actress
• Arya Aramnejad (born 1983), Iranian singer
• Arya Aziminejad (born 1973), Iranian composer
• Arya Nasimi-Shad (born 1999), Iranian swimmer
• Ariya Daivari (born 1989), Iranian-American professional wrestler

From other origins

• Arya Mitra Sharma (born 1959), German doctor
• Chandra Arya, Canadian politician

Fictional characters

• Arya Dröttningu (later Arya Dröttning), from the Inheritance Cycle book series by Christopher Paolini
• Arya Stark, from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones

References

1. "Baby name". Retrieved April 23, 2016.
2. "Aryan". Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
3. Gandhi, Maneka (2004). The Penguin Book of Hindu Names for Girls. New Delhi: Penguin Books. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-14-303169-7. OCLC 60454994. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
4. Gandhi, Maneka (2004). The Penguin Book of Hindu Names for Boys. New Delhi: Penguin Books. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-14-303168-0. OCLC 60391724. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
5. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2013.
6. Templeton, Molly (June 16, 2013). "The best (and the weirdest) of "Game of Thrones" fanfiction". Salon. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
7. de Castella, Tom (March 22, 2013). "Game of Thrones: Why does it inspire such devotion among fans?". BBC News Magazine. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
8. Carlson, Adam (May 10, 2013). "'Game of Thrones' domination is nearly complete: 'Arya' is the fastest-rising name for baby girls". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
9. Safronova, Valeriya (29 April 2019). "Hello, Arya! 'Game of Thrones' Baby Names Are for Girls: Baby names inspired by the powerful women on "Game of Thrones" are rising in popularity". New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
10. . Archived from the original on 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
11. Mzimba, Lizo (2017-09-20). "Game of Thrones Arya among 200 most popular names". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-09-21.