Aanav
A masculine name of Indian origin meaning "unique" or "incomparable".
Name Census estimates that about 145 living Americans carry the first name Aanav. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Aanav today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aanav births was 2019 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aanav. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Aanav with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
145
~ 1 in 2,363,823 Americans
Peak year
2019
22 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,812
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Aanav: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aanav from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 81 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aanav by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aanav during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aanavs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Aanav
The name Aanav has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is believed that the name Aanav emerged around the 5th century BCE during the Vedic period, which was a significant era in the development of Hindu culture and philosophy.
The name Aanav is derived from the Sanskrit word "anav," which means "small" or "humble." It is a compound word formed by combining the prefix "a" (meaning "not") and the root "nav" (meaning "new" or "fresh"). Therefore, the name Aanav can be interpreted as "one who is not new" or "one who is experienced."
In ancient Hindu texts, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, the name Aanav is not explicitly mentioned. However, the concept of humility and simplicity, which is embodied in the meaning of the name, is widely celebrated in these sacred scriptures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aanav can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Aanav is mentioned as the name of a prominent warrior who fought alongside the Pandava princes during the great Kurukshetra war.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Aanav. One of the most famous was Aanav Chandra Gupta (320 BCE - 298 BCE), who was the founder of the Maurya Empire, one of the largest empires in ancient India. His reign was marked by significant territorial expansion and administrative reforms.
Another prominent figure was Aanav Mishra (8th century CE), a renowned Hindu philosopher and scholar who made significant contributions to the Nyaya school of Indian philosophy. His works, such as the Pramana-samuccaya, were highly influential in shaping the discourse on epistemology and logic in ancient India.
In the field of literature, Aanav Datt (1670 - 1730) was a celebrated poet and writer from the Mughal era. He authored several works, including the Kavi-priya, a treatise on poetics, and the Rasik-priya, a collection of verses exploring the philosophy of love and devotion.
In more recent times, Aanav Kaul (1927 - 2002) was a distinguished Indian diplomat and statesman who served as India's Ambassador to several countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union.
Lastly, Aanav Prakash (1941 - 2016) was a renowned Indian musician and vocalist who was widely acclaimed for his mastery of the Hindustani classical music tradition. He received numerous awards and honors, including the prestigious Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors.
People
Aanav + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aanav as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aanav: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aanav?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 145 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aanav going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,363,823 US residents.
Is Aanav a common name?
We classify Aanav as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 146 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aanav most popular?
The single biggest year for Aanav was 2019, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aanav is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Aanav in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aanav a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aanav in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Aanav still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aanav in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Aanav can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Aanav?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Aanav, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.