Himani
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "snow" or "cold".
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the first name Himani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Himani today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Himani births was 2006 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Himani. 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 Himani with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
250
~ 1 in 1,371,017 Americans
Peak year
2006
25 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,447
Tracked since 1997
Census
Himani in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 708 people with the first name Himani, which placed it at #16,051 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#16,051
National first-name rank
People counted
708
708 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
94.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Himani
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Himani is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Himani described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Himani at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.4% · 668
- White2.1% · 15
- Two or more races1.8% · 13
- Black or African American1.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Popularity
Himani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Himani from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 139 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Himani 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 Himani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Himanis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Himani
The name Himani is of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "himani," meaning "snow" or "ice." It is a feminine name that is primarily used in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northern regions where the Himalayan mountains are located.
The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times, as it is found in various Hindu texts and scriptures. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Puranas, a collection of ancient Hindu stories and legends. In the Puranas, Himani is mentioned as the name of a celestial nymph or apsara.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Himani. One of the earliest recorded Himanis was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 8th century CE. Her works, though now largely lost, were celebrated for their lyrical beauty and profound insights.
In the 12th century, Himani was the name of a powerful queen who ruled over a small kingdom in the present-day state of Rajasthan. She was known for her unwavering courage and strategic military prowess, which helped her fend off numerous invasions and preserve the sovereignty of her kingdom.
During the Mughal era, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th century, Himani was the name of a highly skilled calligrapher and artist. Her intricate and beautiful calligraphic works adorned the walls and manuscripts of many Mughal palaces and libraries.
In more recent times, Himani Shivpuri (born 1949) is a celebrated Indian actress who has appeared in numerous Bollywood films and television shows. She is renowned for her versatility and ability to portray a wide range of characters with depth and nuance.
Another notable Himani is Himani Bundela (born 1988), an Indian cricketer who has represented the Indian national women's cricket team. She is considered one of the finest batters of her generation and has scored numerous runs for her team in international competitions.
While the name Himani has its roots in ancient India, it has transcended geographical boundaries and continues to be used by people of Indian descent around the world. The name's association with snow and the Himalayan mountains has imbued it with a sense of purity, strength, and majesty, making it a popular choice for parents seeking a name with deep cultural significance.
People
Himani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Himani 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
Himani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Himani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 250 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Himani 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 1,371,017 US residents.
Is Himani a common name?
We classify Himani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 253 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Himani most popular?
The single biggest year for Himani was 2006, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Himani is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Himani in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 708 people with the name Himani, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,051 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Himani in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Himani?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Himani appears almost entirely female. Of the 704 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Himani?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Himani is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Himani most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Himani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (668 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Himani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Himani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Himani 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.
Is Himani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Himani 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 Himani 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.
How many people are called Himani?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.