Akash
A masculine Sanskrit name meaning "sky" or "endless".
Name Census estimates that about 2,311 living Americans carry the first name Akash. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Akash today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Akash births was 2002 (117 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Akash. 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 Akash with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.3K
~ 1 in 148,314 Americans
Peak year
2002
117 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,682
Tracked since 1975
Census
Akash in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,922 people with the first name Akash, which placed it at #4,663 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,663
National first-name rank
People counted
3.9K
3,922 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
90.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Akash
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Akash is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Akash described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Akash at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.4% · 3,544
- White3.6% · 140
- Two or more races3.3% · 128
- Black or African American1.6% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Popularity
Akash: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Akash from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 874 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Akash 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 Akash during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Akashs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, New York, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Akash, while Georgia, Michigan, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 104 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Akash
The name Akash has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages and has been in use since ancient times in South Asia. The word "Akash" literally translates to "sky" or "ether" in Sanskrit, signifying the boundless expanse of the celestial realm.
In Hindu mythology and philosophy, Akash is considered one of the five fundamental elements that make up the universe, alongside earth, water, fire, and air. It is believed to be the subtle, all-pervading, and infinitely vast space that encompasses the entire cosmos. This concept of Akash as a primordial element can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures like the Upanishads and the Vedas.
The earliest recorded use of the name Akash dates back to ancient India, where it was commonly given to boys as a symbolic representation of their limitless potential and the vastness of their aspirations. Prominent historical figures who bore the name Akash include Akash Bhairav, a renowned 16th-century Hindu philosopher and poet from the Nath tradition.
During the medieval period, the name Akash gained popularity among the ruling dynasties of India. One notable bearer of this name was Akash Quli Khan, a military commander and administrator who served under the Mughal Empire in the 17th century.
In more recent times, the name Akash has been carried by several influential individuals, such as Akash Ambani, the son of Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani and the chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited. Another notable figure is Akash Chopra, the former Indian cricketer and cricket commentator who played test cricket for India from 2003 to 2004.
Additionally, the name Akash has been associated with notable artists and intellectuals, including Akash Kapur, an Indian-American author and journalist, and Akash Shatipati, an acclaimed Indian painter and sculptor known for his contemporary artworks.
Throughout its rich history, the name Akash has retained its symbolic connection to the infinite expanse of the sky, serving as a reminder of the boundless possibilities and aspirations that humans can strive for.
People
Akash + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Akash 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
Akash: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Akash?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,311 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Akash 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 148,314 US residents.
Is Akash a common name?
We classify Akash as "Rare". It ranks above 94.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,352 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Akash most popular?
The single biggest year for Akash was 2002, when 117 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Akash is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Akash in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,922 people with the name Akash, or 1.30 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,663 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Akash in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Akash?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Akash appears almost entirely male. Of the 3,912 people counted with this name, 99.5% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Akash?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Akash is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.4%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Akash most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Akash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (3,544 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Akash in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Akash a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Akash 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 Akash still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Akash 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 Akash 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.
How many people have the name Akash?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.