Eklavya
A masculine Hindu name referring to a dedicated pupil of Dronacharya.
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Eklavya. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eklavya today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eklavya births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eklavya. 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 Eklavya with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Eklavya. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,794
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Eklavya: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Eklavya 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 Eklavya 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 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Geography
Where Eklavyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Eklavya
The name Eklavya is derived from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have originated around the 2nd millennium BCE, making it one of the oldest languages in the world.
The name Eklavya is composed of two Sanskrit words: "eka" meaning "one" or "single," and "lavya" meaning "aim" or "target." Together, the name translates to "one with a single aim" or "one with a focused target." This name is closely associated with a character from the epic Hindu text, the Mahabharata.
In the Mahabharata, Eklavya was a young prince from the Nishada tribe, known for his exceptional archery skills. He was a self-taught archer who practiced by creating a clay statue of his guru, Dronacharya, and worshipping it as a symbolic teacher. When Dronacharya discovered Eklavya's exceptional talent, he demanded that Eklavya give him his right thumb as a guru-dakshina (offering to the teacher), effectively ending his archery career.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Eklavya appears in the Mahabharata, which is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE. This epic narrative has had a profound impact on Indian culture, philosophy, and literature, making the name Eklavya a well-known and culturally significant one.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Eklavya. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Eklavya Vallabhacharya (1548-1624), a renowned Hindu philosopher and scholar from Gujarat, India. He was a prominent figure in the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy and authored several influential works.
Another notable Eklavya was Eklavya Bhatt (17th century), a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet from Rajasthan, India. He was renowned for his mastery of Sanskrit grammar and poetry, and his works have been widely studied and celebrated.
In more recent times, Eklavya Paranjape (1873-1939) was an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. He was a prominent member of the Indian National Congress and worked tirelessly to promote education and social upliftment.
Eklavya Gaikwad (1908-1984) was an Indian writer and playwright who made significant contributions to Marathi literature. He is best known for his plays that explored social issues and challenged traditional norms.
Eklavya Chaudhari (1915-1965) was a renowned Indian freedom fighter and social activist from Gujarat. He dedicated his life to the cause of uplifting the marginalized communities in India and fought against social injustice and discrimination.
People
Eklavya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eklavya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eklavya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eklavya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eklavya 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Eklavya a common name?
We classify Eklavya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eklavya most popular?
The single biggest year for Eklavya was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eklavya 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 Eklavya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eklavya a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eklavya 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 Eklavya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eklavya 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 Eklavya 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 Eklavya?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Eklavya at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.