Arya, also spelled Aarya, Aariya or Ariya (Sanskrit: आर्य/आर्या ārya/āryā; Old Persian: 𐎠𐎼𐎡𐎹 Persian: آریا ariya) is a name of Indo-Iranian origin. It traces back to the ethnonym and endonym Arya, used by the Indo-Iranians to identify themselves. In both Sanskrit and Avestan, Arya refers to those viewed as a part of a civilized or morally distinguished group, contrasting with non-Aryans. The term appears in ancient religious and historical texts, representing ideals of nobility and virtue. In the Indian subcontinent, the Sanskrit name 'Arya' is used as both a surname and a given name, with the given name appearing in masculine (आर्य ārya) and feminine (आर्या āryā) forms.
The personal name Arya is derived from the Sanskrit term ārya (आर्य), which in Vedic and Classical Sanskrit meant “noble”, “honourable”, or “freeman”, and is first attested in ancient Indian texts. The name is widely used in India and Iran, where it carries connotations of an ancient lineage of rich heritage and cultural values.
The name Arya can also be found in countries that carry significant influence by Indian culture and India from where the name originates. For instance, in Indonesia, Arya is commonly used as a masculine given name, particularly in Java and Bali. In Javanese, the name takes variations in the forms of Aryo, Ario, and Aryono. In another Indian-influenced country of Cambodia, Arya is more often given to girls. It is a common name among Hindus.
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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, Game of Thrones-themed burlesque routines, or people naming their children after characters from the series. In 2012, Arya was the fastest-rising girl's name in popularity in the United States, jumping from 711th to 413th position.
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. The name entered the top 200 most commonly used names for girls born in England and Wales in 2017.
People with the name
India
Arya (actor) (born 1980), south Indian actor
Arya (actress), Indian actress (Arya Babu, stage name Arya Badai)
Aarya Ambekar (born 1994), Marathi playback singer
Aarya Babbar (born 1981), Indian actor
Arya Gopi, Indian Malayalam-language poet
Arya Rohit, Indian actress
Arya Bhatta (476–550), Indian mathematician
A. S. Arya, Indian structural engineer
Aditi Arya, Indian model
Anita Arya, Indian politician from the BJP
Chandra Arya, Canadian-Indian politician
Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya, Indian freedom fighter and leader
Ishan Arya, Indian cinematographer and producer
Priyansh Arya, Indian Premier League cricket player and opening batsman.
Ritu Arya, English-Indian actress
Satyadeo Narain Arya, Indian politician from Bihar
Shraddha Arya, Indian actress from the Telugu film industry
Shubhavi Arya, Indian animator
S. N. Arya, Indian physician and writer
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
Iran
Aryo Barzan (368–330 BCE), Achaemenid prince
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
Other countries
Gabriel Arya (fl. late 7th century), also called Gabriel Qaṭraya, biblical exegete who wrote in Syriac.
Arya Mitra Sharma (born 1959), German doctor
Fictional characters
Arya Stark, in A Song of Ice and Fire book series and TV adaptation Game of Thrones