Abhay
A masculine Sanskrit name meaning "fearless" or "one without fear".
Name Census estimates that about 888 living Americans carry the first name Abhay. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Abhay today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Abhay births was 2016 (49 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Abhay. 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.
People living today
888
~ 1 in 385,985 Americans
Peak year
2016
49 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,037
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Abhay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Abhay from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 396 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Abhay remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Abhay 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 Abhay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Abhays live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Abhay, while North Carolina, Florida, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Abhay
The name Abhay is of Sanskrit origin and has its roots in ancient Indian culture. It is composed of the Sanskrit prefix "a," meaning "not" or "without," and the word "bhaya," meaning "fear" or "terror." Therefore, Abhay can be translated as "fearless," "courageous," or "without fear."
In Hindu mythology, Abhay is one of the names associated with Lord Vishnu, the preserver and protector of the universe. Vishnu is often depicted holding a conch shell, a mace, a discus, and a lotus flower, symbolizing the four cardinal virtues of dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. The name Abhay is also mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, as a quality of a spiritually enlightened individual who has transcended the fear of death and rebirth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Abhay can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Abhay was the name of a Kshatriya prince who fought alongside the Pandavas in the great Kurukshetra war. His bravery and fearlessness in battle were celebrated in the epic.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Abhay. One such individual was Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), a Hindu spiritual teacher and the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement. He played a significant role in spreading the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and Krishna consciousness to the Western world.
Another famous Abhay was Abhay Kumar Khanna (1911-1984), an Indian freedom fighter and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 1975 to 1977. He played a crucial role in the integration of the state with the Indian Union and worked towards its development.
In the field of literature, Abhay K. (1915-1993) was a prominent Hindi poet, novelist, and playwright. His works, such as "Uski Roti" and "Mukti Marg," explored themes of social injustice and human suffering. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, for his contributions to literature.
Abhay Vasant Deodhar (1924-2014) was an Indian cricketer who played domestic cricket for Maharashtra and Mumbai. He captained the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team and was known for his aggressive batting style and leadership qualities on the field.
Abhay Charan De (1923-2014) was a renowned Indian classical vocalist and exponent of the Kirana gharana. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honor, in recognition of his contributions to Hindustani classical music.
People
Abhay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Abhay 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
Abhay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Abhay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 888 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Abhay 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 385,985 US residents.
Is Abhay a common name?
We classify Abhay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 897 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Abhay most popular?
The single biggest year for Abhay was 2016, when 49 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Abhay is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Abhay a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Abhay 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.
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.