Airav
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "ray of sun".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Airav. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Airav today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Airav births was 2021 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Airav. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Airav. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2021
7 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#9,753
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Airav: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Airav 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 Airav during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Airav
The name Airav is believed to have originated from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. Its roots can be traced back to the ancient Vedic texts of Hinduism, which date back to around 1500-500 BCE.
In Sanskrit, the name is derived from the combination of two words: "Ari" meaning "enemy" or "rival," and "Av" meaning "to protect" or "to guard." Thus, the name Airav carries the meaning of "one who protects against enemies" or "guardian against rivals."
While the name has been in use for centuries in various parts of the Indian subcontinent, some of the earliest recorded instances date back to ancient Hindu scriptures and historical texts. The name appears in the Puranas, a vast collection of ancient Hindu stories and legends, as well as in the epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
One of the earliest known historical figures bearing the name Airav was a Hindu philosopher and scholar who lived in the 8th century CE. He was known for his contributions to the study of Vedanta, a branch of Hindu philosophy.
In the 12th century, there was a prominent Indian poet and writer named Airav who authored several works in Sanskrit and Prakrit languages. His works were widely celebrated and influenced the literary traditions of the time.
During the medieval period, Airav was also the name of a renowned Hindu saint and mystic who lived in the 16th century. He is revered for his spiritual teachings and is said to have had a significant influence on the Bhakti movement, a tradition of devotional worship within Hinduism.
Another notable figure with the name Airav was a 17th-century Hindu ruler who governed a small princely state in the region of present-day Rajasthan, India. He was known for his patronage of the arts and for commissioning several architectural marvels during his reign.
In more recent times, the name Airav gained popularity among various communities in India, particularly in the northern and western regions. It has been adopted by people across different religious and cultural backgrounds, reflecting its ancient Indian origins and the enduring appeal of its meaning.
People
Airav + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Airav 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
Airav: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Airav?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Airav 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Airav a common name?
We classify Airav as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Airav most popular?
The single biggest year for Airav was 2021, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Airav is about 5 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 Airav in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Airav a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Airav 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 Airav still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Airav 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 Airav 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 are named Airav?
Find out how many Americans are named Airav on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.