Akshaya
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning eternal, imperishable, or inexhaustible.
Name Census estimates that about 579 living Americans carry the first name Akshaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Akshaya today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Akshaya births was 2011 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Akshaya. 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
579
~ 1 in 591,976 Americans
Peak year
2011
42 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,620
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Akshaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Akshaya from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 318 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Akshaya 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 Akshaya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Akshayas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Akshaya, while Virginia, Illinois, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Akshaya
The name Akshaya finds its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the lingua franca of the Indian subcontinent. The word is derived from the combination of the Sanskrit prefix 'a,' meaning 'not,' and 'kshaya,' which translates to 'decay' or 'diminution.' Thus, the name Akshaya carries the meaning of 'imperishable,' 'eternal,' or 'endless.'
This name holds profound significance in Hindu mythology and philosophy, where it is often associated with the concept of the imperishable and eternal nature of the soul or the divine. It is a name frequently invoked in sacred texts and mantras, reflecting the belief in the everlasting and indestructible essence of existence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Akshaya can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. Here, it is mentioned as one of the epithets of Lord Krishna, the revered divine figure, emphasizing his eternal and imperishable nature.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Akshaya. One of the earliest examples is Akshaya Vata, a renowned Buddhist monk and scholar who lived in the 7th century CE. He is credited with translating significant Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Chinese, contributing to the spread of Buddhism in East Asia.
In the 12th century, Akshaya Kalpa, a celebrated Indian mathematician and astronomer, made significant contributions to the field of mathematics. His works, particularly on algebra and arithmetic, were widely influential and played a crucial role in the development of mathematical thought in the Indian subcontinent.
Another prominent figure was Akshaya Datta, a Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 16th century. He is renowned for his poetic works, which include the celebrated Chandi Mangala, a narrative poem depicting the goddess Chandi's victory over the demon Mahishasura.
In the realm of Indian classical music, Akshaya Mohan Banerjee, born in 1888, was a renowned singer and composer of Hindustani classical music. He is credited with reviving and popularizing the Khyal style of singing and is considered a pioneer in the field of Indian classical music.
Akshaya Patra, born in 1945, is a modern-day spiritual leader and social reformer from India. He founded the Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides mid-day meals to millions of underprivileged children across India, promoting education and addressing childhood malnutrition.
People
Akshaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Akshaya 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
Akshaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Akshaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 579 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Akshaya 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 591,976 US residents.
Is Akshaya a common name?
We classify Akshaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 585 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Akshaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Akshaya was 2011, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Akshaya is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Akshaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Akshaya in the SSA data are female. 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.