Arya, also spelled Aarya, Aariya or Ariya ( '; ') is a name of Indo-Iranian origin. It traces back to the ethnonym and endonym

Arya ''Aryan'' (), or ''Arya'' (borrowed from Sanskrit ''ārya''),Oxford English Dictionary Online 2024, s.v. ''Aryan'' (adj. & n.); ''Arya'' (n.)''.'' is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood i ...

, used by the

Indo-Iranians The Indo-Iranian peoples, also known as Ā́rya or Aryans from their self-designation, were a group of Indo-European speaking peoples who brought the Indo-Iranian languages to parts of Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia in waves from the f ...

to identify themselves. In both Sanskrit and

Avestan Avestan ( ) is the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism. It belongs to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family and was First language, originally spoken during the Avestan period, Old ...

, 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 Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, the Sanskrit name 'Arya' is used as both a surname and a given name, with the given name appearing in masculine ( ) and feminine ( ) 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 Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

and

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

. In Javanese, the name takes variations in the forms of Aryo, Ario, and Aryono. In another Indian-influenced country of

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

, Arya is more often given to girls. It is a common name among Hindus.

Modern usage

The 2011 television series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'' features a character named

Arya Stark Arya Stark is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' epic fantasy novel series and its HBO television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where she was portrayed by English actress Maisie Williams. ...

, increasing the name's popularity among Western audiences. In 2013,

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

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 Fan labor, also called fan works, are the creative activities engaged in by fan (person), fans, primarily those of various media properties or musical groups. These activities can include creation of written works (fiction, fan fiction and revie ...

, such as

fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...

, ''Game of Thrones''-themed

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

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.

Notable persons

India

Single name

Arya (actor) Jamshad Cethirakath (born 11 December 1980), known by his stage name Arya, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly appears in Tamil cinema and a few Malayalam and Telugu language, Telugu films. Arya has won two Filmfare Awards So ...

(born 1980), south Indian actor *

Arya (actress) Arya Babu, also known by her stage name Arya Badai, is an Indian actress, comedian, model, and television presenter, who appears in Malayalam films and television. She started her career in television and modelling industry. She is best known ...

, Indian actress (Arya Babu, stage name Arya Badai)

Given name

Aarya Ambekar Aarya Ambekar is a Marathi playback singer and actor from Pune, Maharashtra. She has recorded numerous songs for films and albums in Marathi and Hindi. She has also performed at various prestigious concerts across India and overseas including ...

(born 1994), Marathi playback singer *

Aarya Babbar Aarya Babbar is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi and Punjabi films. In 2014, Aarya participated in the eighth season of ''Bigg Boss''. Career Aarya Babbar started his film career with Raj Kanwar's '' Ab Ke Baras'' alongside Amrita Rao. ...

(born 1981), Indian actor * Arya Gopi, Indian Malayalam-language poet *

Arya Rohit Arya Babu, also known by her stage name Arya Badai, is an Indian actress, comedian, model, and television presenter, who appears in Malayalam films and television. She started her career in television and modelling industry. She is best known ...

, Indian actress * Arya Bhatta (476–550), Indian mathematician

Surname

A. S. Arya Anand Swarup Arya (1931-2019) was an Indian structural engineer, known for his expertise in the soil and foundation engineering and earthquake disaster management. He is a former chairman of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Committee on Ear ...

, Indian structural engineer * Aditi Arya, Indian model *

Anita Arya Anita Arya is a former member of Lok Sabha. She is a leader of Bharatiya Janata party. She represented Karol Bagh, Delhi in 13th Lok Sabha. She was mayor of Delhi in 1999. Early life and education Anita Arya was born on 26 January 1963, at Agr ...

, Indian politician from the BJP *

Chandra Arya Chandrakanth "Chandra" Arya (born 1963), an Indian-Canadian politician, served as a member of Parliament (MP) representing the riding of Nepean (Ontario) in the Canadian House of Commons from 2015 to 2025. A member of the Liberal Party, he ...

, Canadian-Indian politician *

Chaudhari Kumbharam Arya Chaudhary Kumbha Ram Arya (10 May 1914 – 26 October 1995) also known as Kumbha Ram Sunda, was a Freedom fighters of India, freedom fighter, Member of parliament, parliamentarian, and one of the popular leader of farmers from Rajasthan, Indi ...

, Indian freedom fighter and leader *

Ishan Arya Ishan Arya (born Irshad Ahsan) was an Indian cinematographer, and producer, best known as producer and cinematographer of Art cinema classic '' Garm Hava'' (1973). After working in theatre and advertising, he made his debut with ''Garm Hava'' di ...

, Indian cinematographer and producer *

Ritu Arya Ritu Arya is a British actress. She first became known for her role as Megan Sharma in the soap opera ''Doctors'' (2017), for which she was nominated for a British Soap Award. She gained further recognition for her roles as Flash in the sci-fi ...

, English-Indian actress * Satyadeo Narain Arya, Indian politician from Bihar *

Shraddha Arya Shraddha Arya (born 17 August 1987) is an Indian actress. She made her film debut as a lead role in SJ Suryah's Tamil film '' Kalvanin Kadhali'' along with Nayantara in 2006, in Hindi film '' Nishabd'' and in Telugu film '' Godava'' with V ...

, Indian actress from the Telugu film industry * Shubhavi Arya, Indian animator * S. N. Arya, Indian physician and writer *

S. P. Y. Surendranath Arya Sinhakulathipati Papanarya Yatiraj Surendranath Voegeli-Arya was an Indian independence activist from the Madras Presidency. Early life Surendranath Arya was born Ethiraj to Dhanakoti Raju Naidu in a Telugu-speaking family of the city of Madra ...

, Indian independence activist *

Yashpal Arya Yashpal Arya is a 7-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh (twice) and Uttarakhand (five times) combined. He is a former Minister of Transportation, Social Welfare, Minority and Students' Welfare in the Government of Uttarakhand under Bharatiya Janata Par ...

, Indian politician from the National Congress

Indonesia

Arya Penangsang Arya Penangsang was king of the Sultanate of Demak between 1549 and 1554. In 1521 the husband of Raden Patah's first daughter, Pati Unus attacked the Portuguese in Malacca but died in the war. It is said that Trenggana, the younger brother, ...

, Sultan of Demak (1549–1554) * Ario Soerjo (1898–1948), murdered Indonesian politician *

Arya Maulana Aldiartama Arya Maulana Aldiartama (born 30 September 1995) is an Indonesian badminton affiliated with PMS Solo club. Previously, he was a member of Djarum club, and has joined the club in 2009. Achievements ASEAN University Games ''Men's doubles'' ...

(born 1995), Indonesian badminton player *

I Ngurah Komang Arya I Ngurah Komang Arya (born 14 October 1985 in Bali) is an Indonesian former footballer who plays as a goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie ...

(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 The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the large ...

prince *

Aryandes Aryandes (Old Iranian: ''Aryavanda'' or ''Arvanta'', Ancient Greek: ''Ἀρυάνδης'') was the first Achaemenid satrap of ancient Egypt between 525 BCE and 496 BCE, during the early 27th Dynasty of Egypt. Career When king Cambyses II defeate ...

, satrap of

Persian Egypt The history of Persian Egypt refers to the two periods when ancient Egypt was controlled by the Achaemenid Empire: * Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt (525–404 BC), established by the first Achaemenid conquest of Egypt. * Thirty-first Dynasty of ...

Ariamnes Ariamnes I ( ''Ariámnēs''; fl. 4th century BC; ruled 362–350 BC) was satrap of Cappadocia under Persian suzerainty. Son of Datames and father of Ariarathes I and his brother Orophernes (Holophernes), Diodorus states that Ariamnes governed ...

, satrap of

Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

* Ariyāramna, a minor king in pre-imperial Persia (Pars region) and great-grandfather of

Darius I Darius I ( ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its territorial peak, when it included much of West A ...

Ariobarzanes I of Media Atropatene Ariobarzanes ( , from , literally 'exalting the Aryans'; in Elamite: ''Har-ri-pir-tan''; in ''Arya-barzā̆n'') is a male given name. Persian satraps * Ariobarzanes of Phrygia (fl. 407 BC – 362 BC), Persian satrap of Phrygia who led an unsucces ...

, ruled from 65 BC to 56 BC *

Ariobarzanes II of Atropatene Ariobarzanes II of AtropateneSwan, ''The Augustan Succession: An Historical Commentary on Cassius Dio’s Roman History, Books 55-56 (9 B.C.-A.D. 14)'', p.114 also known as Ariobarzanes of Media;Bunson, ''Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire'', p.36 A ...

, grandson of Ariobarzanes I, king of Media Atropatene from 20 BC to 8 BC *

Ariobarzanes I of Cappadocia Ariobarzanes I (), surnamed Philoromaios (, "Friend to the Romans"), was the first Ariobarzanid king of Cappadocia from 95 BC to 63/62 BC. Ariobarzanes I was a Cappadocian nobleman of obscure origins who was of Persian descent. Name "Ariobarza ...

, king of Cappadocia from 93 BC to ca. 63 or 62 BC *

Akram Monfared Arya Akram Monfared Arya is an Iranian-born Swedish aircraft pilot, the second woman to earn a pilot's license to fly aircraft in Iran, after Princess Fatemeh Pahlavi. She is a writer, artist and politician based in Stockholm, Sweden. Aviation ...

(born 1946), first Iranian female pilot * Fatemeh Motamed-Arya (born 1961), Iranian actress * Arya Aramnejad (born 1983), Iranian singer *

Arya Aziminejad Arya Aziminejad (; born 25 April 1973) is an Iranian music composer. Biography Aziminejad was born into a cultured family in Tehran. His first teacher was his grandfather who taught him to play setar. Arya's father, Jamshid Aziminejad has be ...

(born 1973), Iranian composer *

Arya Nasimi-Shad Aria Nasimi Shad (; born 7 November 1999 in Mashhad) is an Iranian Swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g. ...

(born 1999), Iranian swimmer *

Ariya Daivari Ariya Daivari (; born April 11, 1989) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and is a member of The Premier Athletes stable. He also works as a coach for the promotion. Daivari is best known for his tim ...

(born 1989), Iranian-American professional wrestler

In other countries

Arya Mitra Sharma Arya Mitra Sharma was Professor of Medicine and Alberta Health Services Chair in Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta and medical director of the Alberta Health Services Obesity Program (2007-2021). In 2006 he founded and ...

(born 1959), German doctor * George Aryo (born 1958), Turkish-Assyrian politician

Fictional characters

* Arya Dröttningu (later Arya Dröttning), from the ''Inheritance Cycle'' book series by Christopher Paolini *

, from

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948) also known by the initials G.R.R.M. is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the unfinished series of Hi ...

's ''

A Song of Ice and Fire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of high fantasy novels by the American author George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the first volume, ''A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and published it in 1996. Martin, who originally envisioned the ser ...

'' book series and its television adaptation ''

References

{{given name, type=both English feminine given names Feminine given names Game of Thrones Indian masculine given names Masculine given names Persian masculine given names Iranian masculine given names Indonesian masculine given names Surnames of Indian origin Persian-language surnames Indian unisex given names Persian unisex given names