Dharshan
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "sight" or "vision".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Dharshan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dharshan today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dharshan births was 2023 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dharshan. 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 Dharshan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dharshan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2023
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,680
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Dharshan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Dharshan 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 Dharshan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Dharshan
Dharshan is a name with origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "dharshana," which means "sight" or "vision." It is believed to have been popularized in India during the ancient Vedic period, when Sanskrit was the primary language of religious texts and philosophical discourse.
The name Dharshan has been associated with various historical and religious figures throughout Indian history. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Hindu epic that dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In this epic, Dharshan is mentioned as the name of a sage or rishi.
During the classical period of Indian history, which spanned from the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE, the name Dharshan gained further prominence. One notable figure was Dharshan Acharya, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the 7th century CE. He was known for his contributions to the study of Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic school of Hindu philosophy.
In the medieval period, Dharshan was the name of a Rajput warrior who lived in the 12th century CE. He is remembered for his bravery and valor in defending his kingdom against invaders. Another notable figure from this period was Dharshan Bhatt, a prominent astrologer and mathematician who lived in the 15th century CE.
During the Mughal era, which lasted from the 16th to the 19th century, the name Dharshan continued to be used. One notable bearer of the name was Dharshan Singh, a Rajput warrior who fought against the Mughal rulers in the 17th century CE. He is celebrated for his valor and resistance against the Mughal empire.
In more recent history, Dharshan has been the name of several influential individuals. Dharshan Chand Prarthi was an Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter who played a significant role in India's independence movement in the early 20th century. He was born in 1888 and was involved in the Ghadar Party, a revolutionary organization that aimed to overthrow British colonial rule in India.
People
Dharshan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dharshan 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
Dharshan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dharshan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dharshan 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Dharshan a common name?
We classify Dharshan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dharshan most popular?
The single biggest year for Dharshan was 2023, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dharshan is about 3 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 Dharshan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dharshan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dharshan 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 Dharshan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dharshan 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 Dharshan 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 have the name Dharshan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Dharshan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.