Head to head · Girls' names
Aisha vs Anaya
#337 vs #336 in 2025
Anaya is a whisker ahead (#336 vs #337 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Anaya is holding its place on the charts, Aisha is back after a long quiet spell. On momentum, Aisha has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Aisha leads 4 measures of 6; Anaya leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1950s: Aisha #4932, Anaya — — Aisha higher
- 1960s: Aisha #3404, Anaya — — Aisha higher
- 1970s: Aisha #746, Anaya #8532 — Aisha higher
- 1980s: Aisha #504, Anaya #8857 — Aisha higher
- 1990s: Aisha #587, Anaya #4478 — Aisha higher
- 2000s: Aisha #690, Anaya #569 — Anaya higher
- 2010s: Aisha #565, Anaya #438 — Anaya higher
- 2020s: Aisha #428, Anaya #390 — Anaya higher
Aisha stood higher in 5 of 8 decades; Anaya has held the lead since the 2000s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Aisha | Anaya |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | #4932 | — |
| 1960s | #3404 | — |
| 1970s | #746 | #8532 |
| 1980s | #504 | #8857 |
| 1990s | #587 | #4478 |
| 2000s | #690 | #569 |
| 2010s | #565 | #438 |
| 2020s | #428 | #390 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Aisha
Living, alive; thriving
From the Arabic root ʿ-y-sh, 'to live'. The same root gives the ordinary Arabic words for life and living.
ʿĀʾisha (Arabic) → Ayşe / Aïcha → Ayesha → Aisha
How it traveled
Aisha is the English spelling of Arabic ʿĀʾisha, a feminine form built on the root meaning 'to live'. Its fame across the Muslim world rests on Aisha bint Abi Bakr, wife of the Prophet Muhammad and a major transmitter of hadith in the seventh century; from that point the name travels wherever Islam travels, taking local shape as Ayşe in Turkish, Aïcha in French-speaking North Africa, Ayesha in South Asia, and Aixa in Spanish by way of al-Andalus.
Anaya
Not established
No single meaning is established for the modern American name. What is documented: Anaiah is a man's name in the Hebrew Bible, appearing among the leaders in the book of Nehemiah, from a root meaning roughly 'the Lord has answered'; Anaya is a long-standing Spanish surname taken from a village name in the province of Segovia, with Basque connections; and Anaya is used as a girl's given name in India. Popular meaning lists confidently assign it 'caring' or 'without a superior' from Sanskrit, but those readings are not securely traceable.
How it traveled
The clearest documented threads are Spanish and Hebrew. In Spain, Anaya is a place name in Segovia that became a surname carried by notable Castilian families and later spread widely through Latin America, which is one reason the spelling looks entirely at home in Spanish-speaking households.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Aisha
ah-EE-shuh
Also widely said AY-shuh, and in Arabic closer to AA-ee-sha with a catch of breath in the middle. All three are current in the US, so the family's preferred version is worth stating once and early.
- Aish — The usual one-syllable clip among English speakers; informal, spoken more than written.
- Isha — Used as a short form and also stands alone as a given name in South Asia.
- Aishu — Affectionate South Asian diminutive, mostly family use.
- Ash — Anglicized shortening heard in US schools; shared with Ashley and Ashton.
Anaya
uh-NY-uh
That is the usual American reading, with the stressed middle syllable rhyming with 'eye'. In Spanish- and Hindi-speaking families it is commonly ah-NAH-yah, with a clear y-sound in the middle. Both are correct for their setting, so it helps to decide early which one you will use.
- Ana — The most obvious short form, and a standalone given name in Spanish, Portuguese and much of Europe.
- Naya — Informal, taken from the back half of the name; also used on its own as a given name in English.
- Ani — Informal, mostly family use.
- Nay — A very short, casual form used by friends and siblings.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Aisha if you want…
- a name on the way upup 199 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesAisha is 2 syllables to Anaya's 3
Choose Anaya if you want…
- a name holding steadyAnaya is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itAnaya runs 3 syllables, Aisha 2
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Aisha
Strengths
- A clear, settled meaning — 'living' — from a root still used in everyday Arabic.
- Recognized across Arabic, Turkish, Swahili, Urdu, French and Spanish-speaking communities without needing translation.
- Continuously documented since the seventh century, with no gap in use anywhere along the way.
To consider
- Two pronunciations compete in American English — ah-EE-shuh and AY-shuh — so expect to correct people, or to accept both.
- The spelling has real rivals: Ayesha, Aiesha and Aïcha are all established, and some people will default to one of those when writing it down.
- In Muslim families the name carries a specific and honored association with Aisha bint Abi Bakr. That is a strength for many; for families outside that tradition, it is simply worth knowing the name arrives with it.
Anaya
Strengths
- Two ready-made short forms already live inside it: Ana, which stands alone across Europe, and Naya, which stands alone in English.
- Only five letters and no silent ones — easy for a young child to write out.
- At home in English, Spanish and Indian families alike, which matters in a household or extended family that speaks more than one language.
To consider
- The two pronunciations — uh-NY-uh and ah-NAH-yah — both have real claim to the name, so expect to correct people, and expect her to choose for herself eventually.
- It sits close to Amaya, Anya, Aniyah, Anaïs and Amara, so mix-ups and mishearings are likely, especially over the phone or on a roll call.
- The meaning is genuinely unsettled. Sites that offer a confident Sanskrit translation are guessing, and if a documented meaning matters to you, this name will not give you one.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Aisha and Anaya in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Aisha and Anaya?
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One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Aisha and Anaya — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Aisha or Anaya — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Aisha or Anaya?
- Anaya, in 2025: Anaya ranked #336 with 911 babies; Aisha ranked #337 with 910 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Aisha or Anaya?
- Aisha. Over the last five years Aisha moved up 199 places; Anaya moved up 47 places.
- Which is the older name, Aisha or Anaya?
- Aisha entered the US charts in 1950; Anaya entered the US charts in 1978. On the American record, Aisha is the older name.
- How many people are named Aisha and Anaya?
- About 26,500 people named Aisha are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 18,000 people named Anaya are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Aishas or Anayas in the classroom?
- Aisha will almost certainly be the only one in school. Anaya will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Aisha, Anaya and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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