Girl · #1,206 in 2026

Asha

Asha or arta is a Zoroastrian concept with a complex and highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right', 'order' and 'right working'. It is of cardinal importance to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine. In the moral sphere, aṣ̌a/arta represents what has been called "the decisive confessional concept of Zoroastrianism".

  • Hindi
  • Marathi
  • Kannada
  • Malayalam
Current Rank
#1,206
Peak Rank
#795 (2000)
Total Babies
9K
5-Yr Trend
-3%
1963
First Year
2026
Last Year
2000
Peak Year
#795
Peak Rank
9K
Total Count
63
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Asha

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Asha or arta is a Zoroastrian concept with a complex and highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right', 'order' and 'right working'. It is of cardinal importance to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine. In the moral sphere, aṣ̌a/arta represents what has been called "the decisive confessional concept of Zoroastrianism".

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Hindi
  • Marathi
  • Kannada
  • Malayalam
  • Swahili
Etymology
Avestan aṣ̌a and its Vedic equivalent ṛtá both derive from Proto-Indo-Iranian * Hṛtá- "truth", which in turn continues PIE * h₂r-to- "properly joined, right, true", from the root * h₂er . The word is attested in Old Persian as arta . It is unclear whether the Avestan variation between aṣ̌a and arta is merely orthographical. Benveniste suggested š was only a convenient way of writing rt and should not be considered phonetically relevant. According to Gray, ṣ̌ is a misreading, representing – not /ʃ/ - but /rr/, of uncertain phonetic value but "probably" representing a voiceless r . Miller sugges

The Story of Asha

Asha first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1963, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2000: 250 births, good for #882 nationwide. About 23% of every Asha on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Asha ranks #1,206 for baby girls with 195 births, holding steady (-3%). All told, over 9K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Asha

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Asha. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Asha

Phonetically similar names — useful when Asha is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Asha

What does the name Asha mean?
Asha or arta is a Zoroastrian concept with a complex and highly nuanced range of meaning. It is commonly summarized in accord with its contextual implications of 'truth' and 'right', 'order' and 'right working'. It is of cardinal importance to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine. In the moral sphere, aṣ̌a/arta represents what has been called "the decisive confessional concept of Zoroastrianism".
What is the origin of the name Asha?
Asha has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Swahili.
How popular is Asha in 2026?
In 2026, Asha ranks #1,206 among girls' names in the U.S., with 195 babies given the name that year.
When was Asha most popular?
Asha reached its peak popularity in 2000, ranking #795 that year with 250 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Asha most popular?
Asha has historically been most popular in Arkansas, District of Columbia, Hawaii. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Asha.
Is Asha a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Asha is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Asha?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Asha include Merna, Janiah, Ainara. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Asha?
Common variants and related forms of Asha include Eshe. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

👧
Merna
Peak #795
👧
Janiah
Peak #795
👧
Ainara
Peak #795
👧
Letty
Peak #796
👧
Delfina
Peak #794
👧
Salena
Peak #796
👧
Joellen
Peak #796
👧
Ricki
Peak #794

About the name Asha

Asha is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1963 and has accumulated 9K births in the dataset. Asha's peak popularity came in 2000 when it ranked #795. Use the chart and map above to compare Asha's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.