Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Amaya

There are basically two etymologies for the name Amaya. For one, it’s the transferred use of a Spanish surname originating from the Basque region of northeastern Spain, derived from a location name, and said to mean ‘pleasant place’. It is also one of the oldest surnames of the Iberian Peninsula recorded as early as the 16th century as “de Amaya”. Our research also indicates that Amaya comes from “Amaia” which apparently means "the end" in Basque. The other source of the name Amaya is Arabic and apparently means “night rain”. In any case, Amaya is a recent coinage as a girl’s name and particular to the United States.

All About the Baby Name – Amaya

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME AMAYA

The number Five personality loves the excitement of life and can easily adapt to all situations. As natural adventurers, these personalities thrive on the new and unexpected and prefer to be in constant motion. It makes them feel alive. They'll stir up some action if there's not enough around, and as inherent risk-takers they enjoy pushing the envelope. Naturally rebellious, the Five personality has no fear and never resists change.  Traveling and new experiences feed their souls. Fives are very social and attract friends with ease. People love to be around the Five fun-loving and exciting energy.  This is also a lucky number in numerology (like the Threes), so fortune seems to shine on them, helped along by their own optimism and good-nature. Fives have a quick wit, a cerebral mind, and are generally very persuasive. 

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME AMAYA

The name Amaya does not appear on the U.S. popularity charts until 1999 so we are talking about a name that is less than 15 years old. The name debuted on the charts at an impressive position of #398 basically out of thin air. Why? 1999 was the year of MTV’s “The Real World” eighth season in Hawaii. It was on this show that young Americans were introduced to Amaya Brecher, one of the more “back-stabbing” controversial of the roommates. Despite her “bitchy” nature, people apparently responded to her name. It hasn’t done much better than the Top 200 list since first making her appearance on the charts, but she is a moderately popular name nonetheless. It’s more of an “exotic” choice – something different, something modern, and something lovely.

Quick Facts

ON AMAYA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Arabic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

235

PRONUNCIATION:

ah-MIY-ә

SIMPLE MEANING:

Pleasant Place, The End, Night Rain

Characteristics

OF AMAYA

Freedom-loving

Adventurous

Adaptable

Intellectual

Easygoing

Progressive

Sensual

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Amaya

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME AMAYA

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Amaya

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME AMAYA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Amaya


Popular Songs

ON AMAYA

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Amaya


Famous People

NAMED AMAYA

We cannot find any celebrities or significantly famous people with the first name Amaya.

Children of Famous People

NAMED AMAYA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Amaya

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME AMAYA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Amaya