Devani
A given name of Indian origin meaning "bountiful, prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 463 living Americans carry the first name Devani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Devani today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Devani births was 2024 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Devani. 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
463
~ 1 in 740,290 Americans
Peak year
2024
36 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,049
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Devani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Devani from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 159 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Devani remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Devani 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 Devani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Devanis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Devani, while North Carolina, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Devani
The name Devani is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages and has been in use for over 3,500 years. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "deva," which means "divine" or "heavenly," and the suffix "ani," which can denote a feminine name.
In Hindu mythology, the word "deva" is often used to refer to celestial beings or deities. The name Devani may have been given to children with the intention of invoking divine blessings or protection. It is also possible that the name was associated with certain goddesses or female deities in ancient Hindu texts and scriptures.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Devani can be found in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 8th or 9th century BCE. In the epic, there is a character named Devani, who was a celestial nymph and a companion of the god Indra.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Devani. One such person was Devani Nandan Pandey, an Indian freedom fighter from the late 19th century who actively participated in the Indian independence movement against British rule. He was born in 1865 and was a prominent figure in the Swadeshi movement, which promoted the use of Indian-made goods.
Another famous Devani was Devani Khanna, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who lived from 1923 to 2006. She was renowned for her contributions to the Kathak dance form and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, in 1976.
In the field of literature, Devani Bhandari was a prominent Indian author and poet from the 20th century. Born in 1923, she wrote extensively in the Marathi language and was known for her works exploring themes of feminism, social issues, and the human condition.
Devani Parikh was an Indian-American author and educator who lived from 1932 to 2018. She wrote several books on Indian culture, literature, and philosophy, and was widely recognized for her efforts in promoting cross-cultural understanding between India and the United States.
The name Devani has also been used in various literary works, further solidifying its cultural significance. For example, in the novel "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy, one of the characters is named Devani, highlighting the enduring legacy of this ancient name.
People
Devani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Devani 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
Devani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Devani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 463 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Devani 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 740,290 US residents.
Is Devani a common name?
We classify Devani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 469 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Devani most popular?
The single biggest year for Devani was 2024, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Devani is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Devani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Devani 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.