Vaishnavi
Feminine · “Sanskrit "of Vishnu”
Vaishnavi means a follower of Vishnu, in the feminine — and it is also the name of a goddess in her own right, one of the Matrikas, the mother goddesses who embody the powers of the major gods. The name is therefore both a description of devotion and a divine name, depending on which tradition is speaking.
How old is the name Vaishnavi?
Vaishnavi first appears in US birth records in 1993 — 32 years ago. The typical Vaishnavi alive today was born around 2011, making them about 14 years old. About 900 people named Vaishnavi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Vaishnavi most popular?
Vaishnavi peaked in 2008, reaching #2957 nationally. Today it ranks #7133, 4,176 places below that high. See the whole 2008 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Viṣṇu to Vaishnavi
The story of Vaishnavi
Vaishnavi appears in the Devi Mahatmya as one of the Saptamatrika, the seven mother goddesses, each of whom carries the emblems and the power of a corresponding god — Vaishnavi carries Vishnu's discus and rides his eagle. Separately, Vaishnavism is one of the great branches of Hinduism, and a vaishnavi is any woman who follows it. The name is used across India, particularly in the south and west, and appears in American records from the 1980s, peaking in 2008 among second-generation South Asian American families.
Meaning
Sanskrit "of Vishnu; a female devotee of Vishnu"
From Viṣṇu plus the derivational suffix that forms adjectives of belonging, giving vaiṣṇava, of Vishnu, and its feminine vaiṣṇavī. Vishnu's own name is generally connected to a root viṣ, to pervade or to be active. The derivation is regular Sanskrit grammar and is not disputed.
How the name formed
- Viṣṇu
- vaiṣṇava
- वैष्णवीVaiṣṇavī
- Vaishnavi
Related forms: वैष्णवी · வைஷ்ணவி · వైష్ణవి
Pronouncing Vaishnavi
vysh-NAH-vee
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. The ai is a diphthong close to the English word eye, and the shn cluster is pronounced as written. English speakers often insert a vowel, giving vay-ish-NAH-vee, which adds a syllable.
Nicknames for Vaishnavi
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 girls named
- 200859 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2957reached in 2008
- Change vs 2024
- −40.0%15 in 2025, from 25
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.
Vaishnavi in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- वैष्णवी in Sanskrit — same name
- வைஷ்ணவி in Tamil — same name
- వైష్ణవి in Telugu — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California.
Vaishnavis among us
people named Vaishnavi are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 107,151 born in 2025 was named Vaishnavi
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 Kierston test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Vaishnavi's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Kierston climbed just as high around 1990, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Kierston's path sketches the road Vaishnavi is walking now.
Vaishnavi 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
Vaishnavi beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Vaishnavi in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled and specific, with both a devotional and a divine reading.
- Vaishu and Navi are both ready-made short forms in different registers.
- It is unmistakably Sanskrit rather than a generic Indian-sounding name.
- The shn cluster is difficult for English speakers and often gains a vowel.
- Nine letters and three syllables require spelling out.
- The religious content is explicit rather than incidental.
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Vaishnavi
Feminine · #7133 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Vaishnavis 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 Vaishnavi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Vaishnavi in 2025?
- Vaishnavi ranks #7133 among US girl names in 2025, with 15 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Vaishnavi?
- About 1 in every 107,151 US girls born in 2025 was named Vaishnavi — 15 in all.
- Will my child share the name Vaishnavi with classmates?
- Vaishnavi will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Vaishnavi
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Pennie#7133 · Zina#7133 · Elzie#7133 · Rosabel#7133 · Adelene#7133 · Cruz#7133 · Kansas#7133 · Ione#7133
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Vaishnavi? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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