Harshan
An Indian masculine name meaning "delightful" or "joyous".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Harshan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Harshan today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Harshan births was 2017 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Harshan. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Harshan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
2017
9 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,363
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Harshan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Harshan 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 43 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Harshan 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 Harshan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Harshan
The name Harshan is of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit language. It is believed to have emerged during the ancient Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE in the Indian subcontinent.
The name Harshan is composed of two Sanskrit words: "Harsha" and "Shan." "Harsha" means joy, happiness, or delight, while "Shan" is a suffix indicating a person's quality or nature. Therefore, the name Harshan can be interpreted as "one who brings joy" or "the embodiment of happiness."
In ancient Hindu texts, such as the Vedas and Upanishads, there are references to the concept of "Harsha" as a spiritual state of blissful awareness and inner tranquility. The name Harshan may have been bestowed upon individuals who were believed to possess a joyful and serene nature.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Harshan was a renowned Indian poet and scholar who lived during the 7th century CE. Harshan was a prominent figure in the Kashmir Shaivism tradition and authored several influential works, including the Nishvasa Tattva Samhita and the Kharana Rahasyam.
Another notable figure in history with the name Harshan was a Buddhist monk and scholar from the 12th century CE. He was a prolific writer and is credited with composing the Harsha Charita, a biography of the powerful Pushyabhuti dynasty ruler, King Harsha.
In the 14th century CE, Harshan Nath was a revered Hindu saint and mystic from the Nath tradition. He is believed to have attained a high state of spiritual enlightenment and is renowned for his teachings on the path of self-realization.
During the 16th century CE, Harshan Das was a celebrated poet and composer from the Braj region of northern India. He is renowned for his devotional compositions, known as "Harshanas," which were dedicated to the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna.
In more recent times, Harshan Panth was a prominent Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who lived from 1882 to 1955. He was a staunch advocate for the rights of marginalized communities and played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.
People
Harshan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Harshan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Harshan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harshan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Harshan 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 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Harshan a common name?
We classify Harshan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 70 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Harshan most popular?
The single biggest year for Harshan was 2017, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Harshan is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Harshan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Harshan 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.
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.