Shiva
Masculine · “auspicious”
Shiva is given to both — 543 boys and 284 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Shiva is the Sanskrit adjective for auspicious, and it was applied to a fearsome god as a way of not naming him directly.
How old is the name Shiva?
Shiva first appears in US birth records in 1980 — 45 years ago. The typical Shiva alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 500 people named Shiva are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Shiva most popular?
Shiva peaked in 1997, reaching #3738 nationally. Today it ranks #4249, 511 places below that high. See the whole 1997 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Shiva
The oldest layer of the tradition addresses a dangerous storm deity called Rudra, and calling him shiva — kindly — is a placating move of a kind found in many religions: you do not name a fearsome power directly, you call it something pleasant and hope. The epithet eventually became the name, and Shiva is now one of the principal Hindu deities. The name is used in India and Iran alike.
Meaning
auspicious, kindly
From Sanskrit shiva, auspicious or benign; the Rig Veda uses it as an epithet of Rudra, the howler, and over time the epithet displaced the name. The Hebrew shiva, meaning seven and naming a mourning period, is entirely unrelated.
Pronouncing Shiva
SHEE-vah
Two syllables, first stressed. Some say SHIV-ah.
Nicknames for Shiva
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
- 1980
- Most boys named
- 202124 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3738reached in 1997
- Change vs 2024
- +41.2%24 in 2025, from 17
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.
Shiva in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Shiva in Hindi — transliteration
- Shiva in Sanskrit — same name
- Shiva in Persian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California.
Shivas among us
people named Shiva are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 71,170 born in 2025 was named Shiva
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 Nicandro test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Shiva's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Nicandro climbed just as high around 1919, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Nicandro's path sketches the road Shiva is walking now.
Shiva 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
Shiva beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Shiva 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 interesting history of how a god got his name.
- Shiv is a complete short form in its own right.
- Five letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- The Hebrew shiva is a mourning period and the words are said similarly.
- It is a major deity's name, which carries weight in Hindu communities.
- In Persian it is a women's name, so forms may guess wrong.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Shiva
Masculine · #4249 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Shivas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Shiva are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Shiva in 2025?
- Shiva ranks #4249 among US boy names in 2025, with 24 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Shiva?
- About 1 in every 71,170 US boys born in 2025 was named Shiva — 24 in all.
- Will my child share the name Shiva with classmates?
- Shiva will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Shiva
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Guadalupe#4249 · Denny#4249 · Hughes#4249 · Erling#4249 · Rodrick#4249 · Elric#4249 · Ron#4249 · Wright#4249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Shiva? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Shiva 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.
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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