Chaya is a Hebrew female given name (Hebrew: חַיָּה Ḥayyah, Classical Hebrew: [ħajˈjaː], Israeli Hebrew: [ˈχaja, ħaˈja]; English pronunciations: /ˈhɑːjɑː/ HAH-yah, /ˈxɑːjɑː/ KHAH-yah). With its literal meaning "living", it is considered to be a feminine couterpart of the Hebrew masculine given name Haim. It has a number of other transliterations: Chaja, Haya, Khaya, Haia. East Slavic spelling: Хая.
Approximately before 1920s, for Ashkenazi Jews in Europe it was customary to record legal names of females in diminutive form.[1] In the case of Chaya these were Chayka (Hebrew: חייקה), Chaika, Chajka, Khaika, Khayka, etc. East Slavic spelling: Хайка.
Notable people with the given name include:
- ^ 5.2. YIDDISH NAMES from the project "GIVEN NAMES, JUDAISM, AND JEWISH HISTORY" of JewishGen