Manav
Masculine · “human being”
Manav is the Sanskrit word for a human being. It is built from Manu, the figure who stands at the beginning of humanity in Hindu tradition — the man who survives the flood and from whom everyone descends — so calling a child Manav is calling him one of Manu's, which is to say one of us. Few names are so large and so modest at the same time.
How old is the name Manav?
Manav first appears in US birth records in 1993 — 32 years ago. The typical Manav alive today was born around 2006, making them about 19 years old. About 700 people named Manav are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Manav most popular?
Manav peaked in 2000, reaching #1725 nationally. Today it ranks #12008, 10,283 places below that high. See the whole 2000 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Manu to Manav
The story of Manav
Manu appears across Sanskrit literature as the progenitor of humanity and the first lawgiver, and the flood story attached to him is among the oldest in the Indian tradition. The derived word mānava has been in use for millennia as a plain term for a person, and its adoption as a given name belongs to modern Indian naming, which draws heavily on Sanskrit vocabulary chosen for its sense rather than for any bearer. It reached American records through Indian migration in the later twentieth century, and it is concentrated where that migration settled.
Meaning
human being; of Manu
From Sanskrit mānava, an adjective formed from Manu, meaning belonging to or descended from Manu, and used as an ordinary noun for a human. The root behind Manu is connected to thinking, which links it to the same ancient word family as the English words mind and man.
How the name formed
- Manu
- mānava
- Manav
Related forms: Mānava · Manav · Manav
Pronouncing Manav
MUH-nuv
Two syllables, stress on the first, with both vowels short and the final v soft. English speakers sometimes say muh-NAHV with the weight at the back; the Indian saying puts it in front.
Nicknames for Manav
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
- 1993
- Most boys named
- 200065 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1725reached in 2000
- Change vs 2024
- −16.7%5 in 2025, from 6
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.
Manav in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Mānava in Sanskrit — transliteration
- Manav in Hindi — same name
- Manav in Gujarati — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California.
Manavs among us
people named Manav are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 341,615 born in 2025 was named Manav
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 Clancy test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Manav's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Clancy climbed just as high around 1955, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Clancy's path sketches the road Manav is walking now.
Manav 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
Manav beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Manav in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Five letters, two syllables, and no sound that English speakers find difficult.
- The meaning is documented, ancient and unusually universal — it names the species rather than a quality.
- Manu is available as a warm short form and is itself a real name.
- It is spelled phonetically in the Roman alphabet, which many Sanskrit names are not.
- English speakers will stress the wrong syllable until told, and telling them is the child's job.
- It is easily confused with Manoj, Manas and Mahesh in speech by people unfamiliar with the sound.
- Outside Indian communities the name needs a short introduction, which is a small tax paid often.
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What they receive
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Manav
Masculine · #12008 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Manavs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Manav are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Manav in 2025?
- Manav ranks #12008 among US boy names in 2025, with 5 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Manav?
- About 1 in every 341,615 US boys born in 2025 was named Manav — 5 in all.
- Will my child share the name Manav with classmates?
- Manav will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Manav
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Garfield#12008 · Chas#12008 · Lew#12008 · Barney#12008 · Dewitt#12008 · Granville#12008 · Cicero#12008 · Willam#12008
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Manav? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Manav and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
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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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