Vishnu
Masculine · “The all-pervading one”
Vishnu is one of the two great gods of Hinduism, the preserver who sustains the world and descends into it as Rama and Krishna when it needs saving. Giving a child a god's name is entirely ordinary in Hindu practice, and Vishnu is among the most direct examples.
How old is the name Vishnu?
Vishnu first appears in US birth records in 1977 — 48 years ago. The typical Vishnu alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 1,100 people named Vishnu are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Vishnu most popular?
Vishnu peaked in 2007, reaching #2094 nationally. Today it ranks #5399, 3,305 places below that high. See the whole 2007 chart.
Where it comes from
From Viṣṇu to Vishnu
The story of Vishnu
Vishnu is a minor figure in the Rig Veda, known chiefly for three strides that measure out the universe, and becomes one of the supreme deities in the later tradition, worshipped by more Hindus than any other alongside Shiva. His avatars — Rama, Krishna, Narasimha and the rest — carry much of Hindu narrative between them. Naming a child directly for a god is standard practice and understood as an act of devotion rather than presumption; the practice generates Krishna, Shiva, Rama, Ganesh and Vishnu as ordinary given names. American records carry Vishnu from the 1970s with Indian migration, with a peak in 2007 that tracks the community rather than any event.
Meaning
The all-pervading one
From Sanskrit Viṣṇu, traditionally derived from the root viś, to pervade or enter, giving the sense of one who pervades everything. Some scholars connect it instead to a root meaning to be active. The pervading reading is the standard one in Hindu theology and in the Sanskrit commentarial tradition, and it is what the name carries in practice.
How the name formed
- Viṣṇu
- Vishnu
Related forms: विष्णु · விஷ்ணு · విష్ణు · विष्णु
Pronouncing Vishnu
VISH-noo
Two syllables, stress on the first. The Sanskrit ṣ is retroflex, made with the tongue curled back, which English replaces with an ordinary sh; the difference is audible to Indian ears.
Nicknames for Vishnu
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
- 200765 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2094reached in 2007
- Change vs 2024
- −15.0%17 in 2025, from 20
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.
Vishnu in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- विष्णु in Sanskrit — transliteration
- விஷ்ணு in Tamil — transliteration
- విష్ణు in Telugu — transliteration
- विष्णु in Nepali — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New Jersey.
Vishnus among us
people named Vishnu are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 100,475 born in 2025 was named Vishnu
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 Jazz test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Vishnu's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Jazz climbed just as high around 1991, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Jazz's path sketches the road Vishnu is walking now.
Vishnu 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
Vishnu beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Vishnu in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled and among the grandest any name offers.
- Vish is an easy and entirely ordinary English short form.
- Two syllables and no sound English cannot approximate.
- It is a god's name, which carries weight and invites questions in non-Hindu settings.
- The retroflex consonant is lost in English speech.
- It is unfamiliar as a personal name outside Indian communities.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Vishnu 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.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Vishnu
Masculine · #5399 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Vishnus are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,100 people named Vishnu are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Vishnu in 2025?
- Vishnu ranks #5399 among US boy names in 2025, with 17 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Vishnu?
- About 1 in every 100,475 US boys born in 2025 was named Vishnu — 17 in all.
- Will my child share the name Vishnu with classmates?
- Vishnu will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Vishnu
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Frazier#5399 · Franz#5399 · Demetrio#5399 · Rolan#5399 · Rayvon#5399 · Riddick#5399 · Laramie#5399 · Soloman#5399
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Vishnu? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Vishnu 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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