Krishna
Masculine · “dark”
Krishna is given to both — 2,385 boys and 1,906 girls since 1880. See Krishna as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Krishna means dark or black in Sanskrit — the god is described as dark-skinned or blue, and the name says so plainly.
How old is the name Krishna?
Krishna first appears in US birth records in 1957 — 68 years ago. The typical Krishna alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 2,300 people named Krishna are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Krishna most popular?
Krishna peaked in 2004, reaching #1653 nationally. Today it ranks #2108, 455 places below that high. See the whole 2004 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From krishna to Krishna
The story of Krishna
Krishna is the eighth avatar of Vishnu, the charioteer of the Bhagavad Gita, and the cowherd of the Bhagavata Purana — a figure who is at once a philosopher, a trickster child and a lover. His name is simply the color word. It is standard across Indian naming and is in current American use.
Meaning
dark, black, dark blue
From the Sanskrit krishna, 'black' or 'dark', an ordinary color adjective. The god is described in the texts as dark-complexioned, and images render him blue. The word is cognate with a Slavic root for black. The Sanskrit is transparent and undisputed.
How the name formed
- krishna
- Krishna
Related forms: कृष्ण · Kannan · Krishnan
Pronouncing Krishna
KRISH-nuh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Sanskrit has a vocalic r in the first syllable English cannot reproduce.
Nicknames for Krishna
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
- 1957
- Most boys named
- 200785 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1653reached in 2004
- Change vs 2024
- +19.0%69 in 2025, from 58
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.
Krishna in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- कृष्ण in Sanskrit — transliteration
- Kannan in Tamil — related form
- Krishnan in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Krishnas among us
people named Krishna are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 24,755 born in 2025 was named Krishna
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 Romero test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Krishna's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Romero climbed just as high around 1973, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Romero's path sketches the road Krishna is walking now.
Krishna 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
Where Krishna is headed
Krishna should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Krishna beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Krishna in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The dark meaning is transparent and the god is described that way in the texts.
- Krish and Kanha are two short forms, both in real use.
- One of the central figures of Hinduism carries it.
- It names a major deity, which some families will weigh.
- The Sanskrit vocalic r is not reproducible in English.
- It reads as specifically Hindu.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Krishna to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Krishna
Masculine · #2108 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Krishnas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,300 people named Krishna are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Krishna in 2025?
- Krishna ranks #2108 among US boy names in 2025, with 69 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Krishna?
- About 1 in every 24,755 US boys born in 2025 was named Krishna — 69 in all.
- Will my child share the name Krishna with classmates?
- Krishna will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Krishna
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ayven#2108 · Artist#2108 · Khyrie#2108 · Darryl#2108 · Armoni#2108 · Aero#2108 · Cai#2108 · Ansh#2108
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Krishna? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Krishna 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
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