Abhay
Masculine · “fearless”
Abhay is Sanskrit for fearless, built with a negative prefix on bhaya — fear — and it names a specific gesture in Indian sculpture.
How old is the name Abhay?
Abhay first appears in US birth records in 1977 — 48 years ago. The typical Abhay alive today was born around 2012, making them about 13 years old. About 900 people named Abhay are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Abhay most popular?
Abhay peaked in 2016, reaching #2551 nationally. Today it ranks #4539, 1,988 places below that high. See the whole 2016 chart.
Where it comes from
From bhaya to Abhay
The story of Abhay
The abhaya mudra is the raised right hand with the palm outward, and it appears on Buddhist and Hindu images across two thousand years and half of Asia — it says be without fear. It is possibly the oldest attested hand gesture in continuous religious use. The word behind it is abhaya. The name is used across India and reaches American records with Indian families.
Meaning
fearless, without fear
From Sanskrit a-, not, and bhaya, fear; abhaya names fearlessness and, in iconography, the abhaya mudra — the raised open palm that means do not be afraid, one of the most common gestures in Indian art.
How the name formed
- bhaya
- Abhay
Related forms: Abhay · Abhaya · Abhay
Pronouncing Abhay
uh-BHY
Two syllables with the stress on the second; the bh is a single aspirated consonant.
Nicknames for Abhay
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1977
- Most boys named
- 201649 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2551reached in 2016
- Change vs 2024
- −45.0%22 in 2025, from 40
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Abhay in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Abhay in Hindi — transliteration
- Abhaya in Sanskrit — same name
- Abhay in Marathi — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Washington.
Abhays among us
people named Abhay are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 77,640 born in 2025 was named Abhay
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Kedar test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Abhay's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Kedar climbed just as high around 1998, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Kedar's path sketches the road Abhay is walking now.
Abhay sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Abhay beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Abhay in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a genuinely ancient artistic gesture behind it.
- Abhi is a warm short form already in universal Indian use.
- Five letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- The bh is a single Indian consonant that English splits into two.
- Abhay, Abhi and Abhinav are all in use and get confused.
- It needs explaining outside Indian communities every time.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Abhay to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Abhay? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Abhay
Masculine · #4539 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Abhays are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Abhay are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Abhay in 2025?
- Abhay ranks #4539 among US boy names in 2025, with 22 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Abhay?
- About 1 in every 77,640 US boys born in 2025 was named Abhay — 22 in all.
- Will my child share the name Abhay with classmates?
- Abhay will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Abhay
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Nels#4539 · Gabe#4539 · Michel#4539 · Elroy#4539 · Orlin#4539 · Pearce#4539 · Josemaria#4539 · Napoleon#4539
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Abhay? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Abhay and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle