Darshan
A masculine name from Sanskrit meaning vision, glimpse or spiritual awakening.
Name Census estimates that about 752 living Americans carry the first name Darshan. It is a predominantly male name (98.6% of registrations). The average person named Darshan today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darshan births was 1999 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darshan. 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
752
~ 1 in 455,790 Americans
Peak year
1999
30 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,516
Tracked since 1971
Gender
Gender distribution for Darshan
Darshan leans heavily male at 98.6% of total registrations, but 11 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Darshan as a male name
- Ranked #6,516 in 2024
- 13 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1999 (30 births)
Darshan as a female name
- Ranked #8,221 in 1975
- 6 female births in 1975
- Peak: 1975 (6 births)
Popularity
Darshan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darshan 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 210 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Darshan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darshan 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 Darshan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darshans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New Jersey, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Darshan, while Texas, California, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Darshan
The name Darshan has its roots in Sanskrit, the ancient language of the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word "darshana," which means "vision," "sight," or "perception." The name is commonly found in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, where it holds significant cultural and spiritual meaning.
The earliest recorded use of the name Darshan dates back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts. It is mentioned in the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, as well as in the Upanishads, which explore philosophical concepts and spiritual teachings. The name Darshan is often associated with the concept of gaining spiritual insight or achieving a state of enlightenment through the act of seeing or experiencing something deeply meaningful.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Darshan. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Darshan Rishi, a revered Hindu sage who is believed to have lived around the 8th century BCE. He is credited with composing several hymns in the Rigveda, one of the four principal Vedas.
Another prominent figure with the name Darshan was Darshan Singh Puri (1670-1737), a Sikh scholar and poet who lived during the reign of the Mughal Empire in India. He is renowned for his spiritual poetry and his contribution to the Sikh literary tradition.
In the 20th century, Darshan Singh Ragi (1909-1986) was a celebrated Sikh musician and singer who played a significant role in popularizing and preserving the rich musical heritage of the Sikh tradition.
Darshan Singh Khalsa (1944-2008) was an American-born spiritual teacher and author who played a pivotal role in introducing and spreading the teachings of Kundalini Yoga in the Western world.
Darshan Raval (born 1994) is a contemporary Indian playback singer and composer who has gained widespread popularity for his contributions to Bollywood films and music albums.
While the name Darshan has its origins in ancient Sanskrit and is deeply rooted in Indian culture and spirituality, it has transcended geographical boundaries and is now found in various parts of the world, embraced by individuals from diverse backgrounds.
People
Darshan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darshan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Darshan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darshan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 752 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darshan 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 455,790 US residents.
Is Darshan a common name?
We classify Darshan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 768 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darshan most popular?
The single biggest year for Darshan was 1999, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darshan is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Darshan a male name?
Yes, 98.6% of people registered as Darshan 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.