boys' name ★ peaked 2023

Rishi

Meaning rishi, sage Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,059 Trend ↑ Rising 63%

From Sanskrit ऋषि (ṛṣi, “rishi, sage”), via New Indo-Aryan languages, such as Punjabi ਰਿਸ਼ੀ (riśī).

Rank 2025
#1,059
among boys · ↑54 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
207
named Rishi · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,252
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2023
229 babies
All-time total
5,142
#1,753 all-time among boys
First recorded
1974
in Social Security records

Rishi popularity over time

5,142 babies have been named Rishi since 1974, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2023Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 131 13 – #1,467
1980s 432 43 +230% #1,290
1990s 523 52 +21% #1,544
2000s 1,578 158 +202% #938
2010s 1,322 132 -16% #1,117
2020s (to 2025) 1,156 193 +46% #969

Where Rishi is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 225 0.13 outside top 500
2027 241 0.14 outside top 500
2028 256 0.15 outside top 500
2029 270 0.16 outside top 500
2030 282 0.16 outside top 500

Where Rishi is most popular

Boys named Rishi per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.116 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, Washington, and Massachusetts.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Rishi born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 78 0.387 +235%
Washington 57 0.348 +201%
Massachusetts 33 0.240 +107%
California 198 0.217 +87%
North Carolina 52 0.204 +76%
Illinois 47 0.184 +59%
Virginia 33 0.174 +50%
Georgia 44 0.174 +50%
Texas 118 0.134 +16%
New York 55 0.127 +10%
Michigan 19 0.093 -20%
Pennsylvania 18 0.068 -41%
Oregon 5 0.066 -43%
Florida 29 0.061 -47%
Ohio 16 0.060 -48%
Maryland 7 0.059 -49%
Minnesota 6 0.049 -58%
Alabama 5 0.046 -60%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -76%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Rishi

Rishi is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,059 in 2025 with 207 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1974, 5,142 American babies have been named Rishi. Its peak came in 2023, when 229 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Rishi stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rishi?

The median living Rishi is about 16 years old; half are between 6 and 23. An estimated 5,100 people named Rishi are alive in the United States today.

median 16 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Rishi year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 207 #1,059
2024 193 #1,113
2023 229 #969
2022 210 #1,051
2021 161 #1,205
2020 156 #1,213
2019 129 #1,385
2018 115 #1,505
2017 121 #1,432
2016 134 #1,337
2015 134 #1,324
2014 114 #1,443
2013 142 #1,248
2012 129 #1,326
2011 135 #1,276
2010 169 #1,117
2009 173 #1,076
2008 217 #938
2007 205 #966
2006 171 #1,051
2005 184 #951
2004 171 #980
2003 128 #1,172
2002 150 #1,025
2001 94 #1,363
2000 85 #1,462
1995 55 #1,664
1990 42 #1,866
1985 46 #1,473
1980 47 #1,389
1975 14 #2,875
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Rishi

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024 b. 1980 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Rishi Kapoor Rishi Kapoor Indian actor (1952–2020) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Rishi, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Rishi?

The median living Rishi is about 16 years old. Half of all living Rishis are between 6 and 23 years old.

How many people named Rishi are alive today?

An estimated 5,100 people named Rishi are alive in the United States, based on 5,142 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Rishi mean?

From Sanskrit ऋषि (ṛṣi, “rishi, sage”), via New Indo-Aryan languages, such as Punjabi ਰਿਸ਼ੀ (riśī).

How popular is the name Rishi in 2025?

Rishi ranked #1,059 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 207 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rishi?

5,142 babies have been named Rishi in the United States since 1974, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rishi most popular?

Rishi peaked in 2023, when 229 newborns received the name.

Is Rishi a boy or girl name?

Rishi is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Rishi rising or falling?

Rishi is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Rishi become more popular?

Rishi is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 282 boys named Rishi in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Rishi?

Well-known people named Rishi include Rishi Sunak (politician), Rishi Kapoor (actor).

Names like Rishi

Names that sound and feel close to Rishi: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Rishi with similar names → More names starting with R →