Dhairya
A masculine Indian name meaning strength, courage, and resilience.
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the first name Dhairya. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dhairya today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dhairya births was 2014 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dhairya. 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 Dhairya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
118
~ 1 in 2,904,698 Americans
Peak year
2014
13 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,461
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Dhairya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dhairya from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 60 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Dhairya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dhairya 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 Dhairya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dhairyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dhairya
The name Dhairya is derived from the Sanskrit language and has its origins in ancient India. It is a masculine name that means "courage," "bravery," or "fortitude." The name is believed to have been in use since the Vedic period, which spans from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dhairya can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic that dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In the epic, Dhairya is mentioned as a virtue that a warrior should possess. The name is also found in other ancient Hindu texts, such as the Puranas and the Upanishads, where it is used to describe the quality of steadfastness and determination.
The earliest known historical figure with the name Dhairya was Dhairya Sharma, a renowned Sanskrit scholar who lived in the 7th century CE. He was known for his contributions to the study of Sanskrit grammar and his commentary on the works of the renowned grammarian, Panini.
Another notable figure with the name Dhairya was Dhairya Singh, a Rajput king who ruled over the princely state of Jaipur in the 18th century. He was known for his bravery and leadership during the turbulent times of the Mughal Empire's decline.
In the 19th century, Dhairya Narain Singh was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and played a crucial role in mobilizing people against British rule.
Dhairya Devi, born in 1901, was a freedom fighter who participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Quit India Movement during India's struggle for independence. She was also a social reformer who worked towards the upliftment of women and the underprivileged.
Dhairya Veer Singh, born in 1931, was a decorated Indian Army officer who fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second-highest military decoration, for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
People
Dhairya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dhairya 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
Dhairya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dhairya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 118 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dhairya 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 2,904,698 US residents.
Is Dhairya a common name?
We classify Dhairya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 119 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dhairya most popular?
The single biggest year for Dhairya was 2014, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dhairya is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Dhairya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dhairya a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dhairya 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 Dhairya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dhairya 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 Dhairya 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Dhairya?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.