Fun Facts About the Name Athira
- 132 babies named Athira: U.S. records list 132 babies given the name Athira from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Athira Mean?
Athira is a feminine name used mainly by Malayalam speakers in Kerala, in southwestern India. It is generally explained as a form of the Malayalam star name Ātira (also written Aathira), which is the Malayalam name of the nakṣatra Ārdrā - the sixth lunar mansion of Hindu astronomy, identified with the star Betelgeuse in Orion. The Sanskrit word behind the star name, ārdrā, means "moist" or "fresh"; that literal sense is not the sense usually attached to the personal name. When the name is explained, it is the star, and by extension brightness, that is normally mentioned, while glosses such as "bright" or "white" that appear in modern name lists have no clear source and read as later interpretation rather than etymology.
Athira Name History & Origins
Athira belongs to the Malayalam naming tradition that takes personal names from the nakṣatras, the 27 lunar mansions of Hindu astronomy. Ātira is the Malayalam form of the Sanskrit Ārdrā, the sixth nakṣatra, whose presiding deity is Rudra, a form of Shiva. The same star name underlies Thiruvātira, a Kerala festival held in the Malayalam month of Dhanu, when women fast and perform the Thiruvathirakali dance in honor of Shiva and Parvati. The festival name and the personal name come from the same source.
The spelling Athira reflects English transliteration of Malayalam, in which the dental t of the name is commonly written th; the fuller spelling Aathira is also used, marking the long initial vowel ā. The name is used by Malayali families in Kerala and in Malayali communities elsewhere in India and overseas.
How Popular is the Name Athira?
Athira has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2017. Its best rank was #6,568 in 2017.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,425 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #12,283 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #7,015 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #12,364 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #9,023 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #7,782 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #12,642 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #6,568 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #7,291 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #11,974 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #10,230 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #14,842 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Athira Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Athira's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Athira's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.