Throughout the world, חייא (Hiya 
, Hiyya 
, חייא ) is quite a rare epicene forename. The first name חייא is habitual in Israel, where it is quite a rare gender-neutral name, Algeria, where it is a rare epicene name, and Morocco. In absolute terms, the name is most common in India, Bangladesh, and Algeria. Also, חייא is the last name as well as the forename.