Karthik
An Indian masculine name derived from Sanskrit meaning "one who performs meritorious deeds".
Name Census estimates that about 1,455 living Americans carry the first name Karthik. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Karthik today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karthik births was 2010 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karthik. 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 Karthik with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 235,570 Americans
Peak year
2010
79 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,320
Tracked since 1977
Census
Karthik in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,451 people with the first name Karthik, which placed it at #4,269 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
#4,269
National first-name rank
People counted
4.5K
4,451 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karthik
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karthik is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Karthik 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 Karthik at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.9% · 4,269
- White2.2% · 99
- Two or more races0.7% · 33
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Popularity
Karthik: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karthik from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 561 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
Karthik 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 Karthik during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karthiks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Karthik, while Washington, Pennsylvania, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Karthik
The name Karthik has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit root word "krit," which means "to accomplish" or "to achieve." The suffix "-ika" is often added to Sanskrit words to denote a diminutive or affectionate form.
In Hindu mythology, Karthik is one of the names of the Hindu god Kartikeya, who is also known as Murugan or Subrahmanya. He is the divine son of Lord Shiva and the goddess Parvati and is revered as the god of war and the commander-in-chief of the divine army. The name Karthik is closely associated with this powerful deity and his attributes of courage, valor, and strength.
The earliest recorded use of the name Karthik can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata. These sacred texts contain stories and legends related to Kartikeya, and the name Karthik is mentioned in various contexts.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Karthik. One of the most famous was Karthik Aryan, a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 6th century CE. He made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy, and his works were highly influential in the development of these disciplines in ancient India.
Another notable figure was Karthik Siddhanta, a 9th-century Indian philosopher and scholar who wrote extensively on Hindu philosophy and theology. His works, such as the "Karthik Siddhanta," were widely studied and had a lasting impact on the intellectual traditions of the subcontinent.
In more recent times, Karthik Raja, a 16th-century Indian ruler and military commander, played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Vijayanagar Empire in southern India. He was known for his strategic military campaigns and his patronage of the arts and architecture.
Karthik Rajasekharan, an Indian writer and poet of the 20th century, was renowned for his lyrical and evocative works that explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality. His poetry collections, such as "Karthik Geetham," were widely acclaimed and earned him numerous literary awards and accolades.
Lastly, Karthik Narayanan, a contemporary Indian entrepreneur and business leader, is the co-founder and CEO of a successful technology company based in Bengaluru. He has been recognized for his innovative approach and his contributions to the growth of the Indian startup ecosystem.
People
Karthik + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karthik as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karthik: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karthik?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,455 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karthik 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 235,570 US residents.
Is Karthik a common name?
We classify Karthik as "Rare". It ranks above 92.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,475 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karthik most popular?
The single biggest year for Karthik was 2010, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karthik is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Karthik in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,451 people with the name Karthik, or 1.47 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,269 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 Karthik 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 Karthik?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Karthik appears almost entirely male. Of the 4,452 people counted with this name, 99.6% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Karthik?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karthik is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Karthik most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Karthik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (4,269 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 Karthik in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Karthik a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karthik 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 Karthik still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Karthik 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 Karthik 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 share the name Karthik?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.