Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Shiva

Meaning the auspicious one Gender Unisex · 34% girls Rank 2025 #4,370 Trend ↑ Rising 48%

Borrowed from Sanskrit शिव (śivá, “the auspicious one”).

Rank 2025
#4,370
among boys · ↑1,249 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
24
named Shiva
How common
1 in 71,170
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
30 babies
All-time total
827
#7,504 all-time among boys
First recorded
1968
in Social Security records

Shiva popularity over time

827 babies have been named Shiva since 1968, 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
00.010.010.0218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s 5 – 5 1 – –
1970s 24 – 24 2 +380% –
1980s 75 27 102 10 +325% #5,400
1990s 75 113 188 19 +84% #3,857
2000s 53 158 211 21 +12% #3,893
2010s 23 133 156 16 -26% #4,895
2020s (to 2025) 29 112 141 24 +51% #4,346

Where Shiva 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 25 0.01 outside top 500
2027 26 0.02 outside top 500
2028 27 0.02 outside top 500
2029 28 0.02 outside top 500
2030 28 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Shiva

Shiva is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #4,370 in 2025 with 24 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1968, 827 American babies have been named Shiva, about 66% boys and 34% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 30 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 Shiva stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Shiva?

The median living Shiva is about 22 years old; half are between 9 and 31. An estimated 800 people named Shiva are alive in the United States today.

median 22 020406080100

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

Shiva year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 24 #4,370
2024 7 #13,280 17 #5,619
2023 – – 23 #4,594
2022 9 #11,120 12 #7,192
2021 6 #15,009 24 #4,346
2020 7 #13,285 12 #6,980
2019 – – 13 #6,723
2018 6 #15,399 20 #4,895
2017 – – 13 #6,614
2016 – – 13 #6,667
2015 – – 7 #10,455
2014 8 #12,909 15 #5,952
2013 – – 15 #5,875
2012 – – 16 #5,685
2011 – – 8 #9,466
2010 9 #12,117 13 #6,649
2009 – – 11 #7,614
2008 7 #15,169 10 #8,211
2007 9 #12,529 17 #5,401
2006 – – 15 #5,740
2005 6 #16,151 19 #4,606
2004 5 #18,407 11 #6,908
2003 5 #18,016 17 #4,781
2002 6 #15,130 22 #3,893
2001 7 #13,281 20 #4,095
2000 8 #11,637 16 #4,756
1995 – – 12 #5,076
1990 8 #10,054 9 #5,743
1985 8 #8,208 – –
1980 – – 6 #6,138
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Shiva

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

  1. 1 Shiva Rajkumar Shiva Rajkumar Indian actor (born 1962) b. 1961 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Shiva Thapa Shiva Thapa Indian boxer (born 1993) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Shiva?

The median living Shiva is about 22 years old. Half of all living Shivas are between 9 and 31 years old.

How many people named Shiva are alive today?

An estimated 800 people named Shiva are alive in the United States, based on 827 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Shiva mean?

Borrowed from Sanskrit शिव (śivá, “the auspicious one”).

How popular is the name Shiva in 2025?

Shiva ranked #4,370 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 24 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Shiva?

827 babies have been named Shiva in the United States since 1968, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Shiva most popular?

Shiva peaked in 2021, when 30 newborns received the name.

Is Shiva a boy or girl name?

Shiva is used for both: about 34% of babies named Shiva have been girls and 66% boys.

Is the name Shiva rising or falling?

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

Will Shiva become more popular?

Shiva is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 28 boys named Shiva 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 Shiva?

Well-known people named Shiva include Shiva Rajkumar (actor), Shiva Thapa (boxer).

Names like Shiva

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

Compare Shiva with similar names → More names starting with S →