Alaia is a Basque name from the word alai and means "joyful" or "happy"; many American parents also connect it to the Arabic Alia, "exalted". It was known as the surname of fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa before it became a first name. Alaia ranked number 7175 in 2000 and entered the top 1000 in 2015, then jumped from number 583 in 2018 to number 184 in 2019 and stands at number 117 in 2025.