Priya: meaning and UK use

What does Priya mean?

Priya comes from Sanskrit and is used in several South Asian languages. The pronunciation example here is Hindi, not a rule for every language.

Language or name family covered

Sanskrit; used in South Asian languages

Meaning or derivation

Beloved

Our browsing group

girl; international

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Priya

Pronunciation and related forms

/pɾɪ.ˈjɑː/ (Hindi IPA)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

No variants or nicknames have been verified for this entry. A family nickname does not need to be an established dictionary form.

How popular is Priya?

In 2025, 30 baby girls in England and Wales were registered as Priya, making it the 1110th most popular girls’ name. That is up 50 places on 2024, when it ranked 1160th. It has slipped from 377th in 2015, 733 places in ten years. Its best year in the ONS series was 1999, at 285th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (girls)

1110th

2025 registrations

30

Best rank in this series

285th (1999)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Priya: rank and number of baby girls by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	1110	30
2024	1160	29
2023	921	38
2022	647	58
2021	767	48
2020	700	53
2019	778	48
2018	507	84
2017	453	97
2016	444	99
2015	377	120
2014	301	155
2013	336	137
2012	372	128
2011	409	110
2010	447	95
2009	398	106
2008	379	117
2007	350	125
2006	319	138
2005	319	127
2004	340	113
2003	326	116
2002	310	116
2001	313	117
2000	291	129
1999	285	125
1998	302	119
1997	311	115
1996	342	101

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 girls series is 2,993. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Priya

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Aishainternational · Living or alive
• Amarainternational · Grace
• Ananyainternational · Unique
• Ariainternational · Song or melody; literally air
• Diyainternational · Lamp or light
• Freyainternational · Lady

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Priya, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.