Girl, Also used as a short form of boys' names such as Dayanand or Dayashankar. · Sanskrit · Hindu
Daya
दयाSay it DUH-yaa
- Meaning today
- Compassion, mercy, kindness
- Original meaning
- "sympathy, compassion, pity" Monier-Williams, p. 469
- Say it
- DUH-yaa
- Written
- दया
- Other spellings
- Dayaa
Daya
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Daya meaning
Daya (दया) is a Hindu girl's name of Sanskrit origin.
Sympathy, compassion, pity
Also used to mean: mercy, kindness
Daya (दया) is the Sanskrit and Hindi word for compassion. Monier-Williams gives dayā as sympathy, compassion and pity, and records the phrase dayāṃ kṛ, "to take pity on". In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa Dayā is personified as a daughter of Dakṣa and the mother of Abhaya, "Fearlessness". Compassion is counted among the central virtues in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist teaching, and the word forms part of many older names such as Dayanand, Dayaram and Dayawati. Name lists give "compassion", "mercy" and "kindness", all supported by the dictionary.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 469 · entry dayā · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, dayā, p. 469
Fits your syllable
First sound द
Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra, pada 3 · Kumbh rashi
This exact sound isn't in the table; the closest is दा, which differs only in vowel length. North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Daya · Dayaa