Fun Facts About the Name Reya
- More than 2 thousand babies named Reya: U.S. records list 2,934 babies given the name Reya from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Reya Mean?
Reya is a feminine name whose established meaning comes from Hebrew, where it means "friend." The Hebrew noun re'a (רֵעַ) covers a friend, a companion, or a neighbor, and its feminine form is re'a (רֵעָה). A closely related word, ra'ya (רַעְיָה), means "beloved" or "companion." In Hebrew the given name is usually written Raya or Ra'aya, with Reya as one English spelling of it. The sense at the root is simply "friend."
Reya is also the Latin-alphabet form of Рея, the Russian and Bulgarian spelling of the Greek name Rhea (Ῥέα), a Titaness of Greek myth. The meaning of Rhea is not settled: ancient writers linked it to the Greek verb rheō, "to flow," or to era, "earth," but neither explanation is certain. This Greek strand and the Hebrew name are separate in origin and happen to be spelled alike only in English.
In South Asia, Reya is used as a girl's name and is generally treated as a spelling of Riya or Ria, a name whose own derivation is debated rather than settled.
Reya Name History & Origins
The Hebrew word behind the name appears throughout the Hebrew Bible in the sense of "friend," "companion," or "neighbor," as in the command to love one's neighbor as oneself. The feminine ra'ya is the word used in the Song of Songs, where the woman is addressed as ra'yati, "my beloved" or "my companion." The Aramaic form of the same word, ra'ya, means "friend" or "shepherd," and it supplies the title Raya Mehemna, "the faithful shepherd," a section of the Zohar associated with Moses. Modern Hebrew drew the female given name Raya (also spelled Ra'aya) from this vocabulary, and Reya is an English rendering of it.
Greek myth supplies the other strand. Rhea was a Titaness, a daughter of Gaia and Uranus, the wife of Cronus, and the mother of Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Poseidon, and Hades. Her name entered the Slavic languages as Рея, written Reya in Latin letters; this is the standard Russian and Bulgarian form of the name, and it has no connection to the Hebrew word for friend.
How Popular is the Name Reya?
Reya recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2024. Its best rank was #884 in 2024.
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 | #1,003 | 250 | 0.0156% |
| 2024 | #884 | 305 | 0.0189% |
| 2023 | #953 | 274 | 0.0171% |
| 2022 | #1,032 | 248 | 0.0151% |
| 2021 | #1,128 | 219 | 0.0134% |
| 2020 | #1,279 | 175 | 0.0108% |
| 2019 | #1,492 | 147 | 0.0088% |
| 2018 | #1,459 | 151 | 0.0089% |
| 2017 | #1,527 | 145 | 0.0084% |
| 2016 | #1,351 | 176 | 0.0099% |
| 2015 | #1,891 | 108 | 0.0061% |
| 2014 | #2,125 | 91 | 0.0051% |
| 2013 | #2,456 | 74 | 0.0042% |
| 2012 | #2,997 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 2011 | #2,899 | 60 | 0.0034% |
| 2010 | #3,240 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 2009 | #3,855 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2008 | #4,072 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2007 | #3,709 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2006 | #3,607 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2005 | #4,349 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2004 | #3,883 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2003 | #5,205 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2002 | #6,970 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #6,903 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #5,454 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1999 | #8,112 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #12,103 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #9,640 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #9,398 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #13,031 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #10,331 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #12,964 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #14,840 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #10,560 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #9,029 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #8,898 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #11,841 | 5 | 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 Reya Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Reya's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Reya's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.