Shanya

Updated: September 20, 2021 by MomsWhoThink Staff

Shanya is an attractive and unique baby name for girls. With possible origins ranging from Native American to Irish, this name has a distinctive cadence that commands attention. Shanya Karaz is the name of a character in Conan the Swordsman, and the Shanya River is the colloquial name for one of the most important tributaries in central Russia. Keep reading to learn more about this baby name.

Meaning of the name Shanya:

Ojibwe: On the way
Irish: Wise river

Origin of the name Shanya:

Shanya is a modern invented name with several possible origins. The first origin is a simple spelling variation of the name Shania. Although the exact Native American origin remains debated, Shania probably derives from the Ojibwe phrase ani aya'aa (meaning “someone on the way”).

Other experts believe that Shanya is a modern elaboration of the name Shana. This name is an anglicized version of the Irish name Sionann (meaning “wise river”), and it is also related to the Irish name Shannon.

Symbolism of the name Shanya:

Shanya is a spelling variation of the name Shania or an elaboration of the name Shana. Although folk legends maintained that Shania is an Ojibwe word that means “I'm on my way,” experts argued against this assertion as recently as 2010. In 2018, however, etymologists discovered that the phrase ani aya'aa indeed means “someone on the way.” The name implies that the person is a traveler or sojourner on the path toward enlightenment and truth.

As an elaboration of Shana, the name Shayna is also a modern interpretation of Sionann. In Irish mythology, Sionann is a river goddess who dissolves divine power into water and thereby nourishes the surrounding land. The symbols of Sionann are the well and the water pitcher.