Maanya
From Sanskrit, a feminine name meaning "respect" or "honor".
Name Census estimates that about 352 living Americans carry the first name Maanya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maanya today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maanya births was 2015 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maanya. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Maanya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
352
~ 1 in 973,734 Americans
Peak year
2015
27 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,704
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Maanya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maanya from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 211 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Maanya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maanya by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maanya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maanyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, New Jersey, Texas recorded the most babies named Maanya, while Washington, Texas, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maanya
The name Maanya originates from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language widely used in the Indian subcontinent. Its roots can be traced back to the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. The name Maanya is derived from the Sanskrit word "manya," which means "honor" or "respect."
In ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Vedas and Puranas, the name Maanya is often associated with characters or deities revered for their wisdom, strength, and virtues. One example is Maanya Rishi, a renowned sage and scholar mentioned in the Mahabharata, an epic Sanskrit poem dating back to the 8th century BCE.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Maanya can be found in ancient Hindu genealogical records, known as "vamshavalis," which document the lineages of prominent families and dynasties. One notable example is Maanya Devi, a queen and consort of King Virabhanu of the Rashtrakuta dynasty, who ruled in the 8th century CE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Maanya. One such figure is Maanya, a renowned Kannada poet and scholar who lived in the 12th century CE and authored the literary work "Anubhavamruta." Another prominent individual is Maanya Narayani, a 16th-century female scholar and poet from the Vijayanagara Empire, who made significant contributions to Telugu literature.
In the realm of spirituality and philosophy, Maanya Swami was a revered Hindu mystic and sage who lived in the 18th century CE and authored several influential works on Advaita Vedanta philosophy. Additionally, Maanya Bali was a prominent Indian freedom fighter and social reformer from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for her activism against child marriage and efforts to promote women's education.
Another notable figure is Maanya Raghavan, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who lived from 1932 to 2021 and was celebrated for her contributions to Bharatanatyam, a major form of Indian classical dance. She received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India.
People
Maanya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maanya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maanya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maanya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 352 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maanya going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 973,734 US residents.
Is Maanya a common name?
We classify Maanya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 355 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maanya most popular?
The single biggest year for Maanya was 2015, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maanya is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Maanya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maanya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maanya in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Maanya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maanya in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Maanya can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Maanya?
Want to know how many people share the name Maanya? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.