Deva
A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin meaning "god" or "divine".
Name Census estimates that about 726 living Americans carry the first name Deva. It is a predominantly female name (97.8% of registrations). The average person named Deva today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deva births was 1971 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deva. 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
726
~ 1 in 472,113 Americans
Peak year
1971
23 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,457
Tracked since 1911
Gender
Gender distribution for Deva
Deva leans heavily female at 97.8% of total registrations, but 22 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Deva as a male name
- Ranked #11,227 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1974 (6 births)
Deva as a female name
- Ranked #10,457 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1971 (23 births)
Popularity
Deva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deva from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 176 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Deva 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 Deva during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Devas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Deva
The name Deva originated from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language widely used in the Indian subcontinent. It traces its roots back to Vedic literature, which dates back to around 1500-500 BCE. The word "deva" in Sanskrit means "divine being" or "deity," referring to celestial beings or gods in Hindu mythology.
In Hinduism, the term "deva" is used to describe various deities and divine entities. The Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, extensively mention the devas as powerful entities and personifications of natural forces. The Deva Purana, an ancient Hindu text, is dedicated to the stories and accounts of various devas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deva can be found in ancient Hindu texts and inscriptions. The name was often used as an epithet or title for revered individuals who were considered divine or possessed exceptional qualities. Some notable historical figures with the name Deva include:
1. Deva Raya I (1268-1311), a powerful ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire in South India, known for his military conquests and patronage of art and architecture.
2. Deva Raya II (1426-1446), another Vijayanagara king, who expanded the empire's territory and encouraged religious tolerance.
3. Deva Shastri (1853-1928), an Indian scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit literature and Vedic philosophy.
4. Deva Prasad Ghose (1855-1933), an Indian lawyer and politician who played a prominent role in the Indian independence movement.
5. Deva Pria (1963-2007), an Indonesian actress and singer who was widely popular in her home country and gained recognition in the Southeast Asian entertainment industry.
The name Deva has also been used in various religious and spiritual contexts beyond Hinduism. In Buddhism, the term "deva" refers to celestial beings or deities who are believed to inhabit higher realms of existence. Similarly, in Jainism, the term is used to describe divine beings and celestial entities.
Throughout history, the name Deva has been associated with divinity, spirituality, and reverence, reflecting its Sanskrit roots and the cultural significance it holds in various religious and philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent.
People
Deva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deva 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
Deva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 726 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deva 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 472,113 US residents.
Is Deva a common name?
We classify Deva as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 986 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deva most popular?
The single biggest year for Deva was 1971, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deva is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Deva a female name?
Yes, 97.8% of people registered as Deva 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.