Daya means compassion or mercy — from the Sanskrit/Hebrew. In Sanskrit, daya IS the most fundamental Buddhist AND Hindu virtue — compassion for ALL beings. Two syllables of the most fundamental Buddhist virtue, compassion-for-ALL, and Sanskrit mercy.
Daya IS Buddhism AND Hinduism's most fundamental virtue.Compassion for ALL beings.Two syllables with a gentle, Sanskrit sound: DY-ah.Da and Ya are both embedded.The most directly compassionate name.
Daya IS the most fundamental Buddhist AND Hindu virtue — compassion for ALL beings.
2
First recorded
Earliest known use: Sanskrit; Buddhist/Hindu tradition.
3
Today
Daya remains a beloved choice, ranking #3738 in the US. 883 babies have been named Daya since 1964.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, SSA data
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How popular is Daya?
2018peak year
Daya has settled into a steady rhythm — neither rising sharply nor fading, holding a consistent place in U.S. birth records. It currently ranks well outside the top 1,000 (around #3738), with about 41 babies named Daya each year. In 2018, 52 babies received the name (ranked #3119). Total registrations across all years since 1880: roughly 883.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Daya's Life Path 6 is the nurturer's number — compassion nurturing. People named Daya tend to be gentle, compassionate, and gifted at being the most fundamental virtue for ALL.
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Most fundamental virtue for ALL
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Buddhist-Hindu
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Compassion-mercy
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Gentle-Da-Ya
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Sanskrit-deep
D4
A1
Y7
A1
Sum: 13 → Life path 4
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Personality of Daya
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Steady & reliable
When they make a promise, they keep it.
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Methodical
Thorough, careful, precise.
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Quietly powerful
Their strength is always there when it matters.
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Grounded
No matter what swirls around them, they stay centred.
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