As the story goes we had been thinking of names for a week or more. We made a list of about 20 names. Marty researched the origins of the names and we had it narrowed down to three names that we both liked. When we picked her up on Wednesday March 23, 2011, we went got to the airport to fly home to Alaska and the ticket agent wanted her name for the airline paperwork. We told her we had not yet settled on a name, and we had the top three, which we relayed, in order of our current preference, Kaya being at the top of the list, the ticket agent concurred that she liked all three names as well, and as we reviewed the names, speaking each one aloud, the puppy clearly responded to the word Kaya when we said it, so we looked at each other and smiled, and that became her name, recorded on the airline document on the spot and now official. Just the other day she had here first wellness check with the vet clinic and they started a file for Kaya, so now it is officially recorded in two places of business, so we have passed the point of no return on the name, and she responds very well to her name, "Kaya".

The name stuck and Kaya thinks it is a fine name just ask her, and she will come running over to tell you all about how good it is....

Kaya - stay and don't go back Initially the name came to us as a word from a beautiful South African Song. The song says that "you carry your home in your heart". "Kaya" means "home" in Zulu and Chidigo (a dialect spoken in parts of Keny and Tanzania). It is a Ghanaian name meaning stay and don't go back. On the coast of Kenya, the Miji Kenda people refer to their sacred forests as Kaya

  • In Japanese this name comes from an expression meaning 'home, yew tree, rock'. It can also mean 'forgiveness'.
  • In Zulu the name Kaya means 'home'.
  • In Hopi Indian this name means 'wise child' or 'willow'.
  • In Turkish the name means 'stone'.