Keshava
A Sanskrit name meaning "long-haired" or "lion's mane".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Keshava. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Keshava today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keshava births was 2016 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keshava. 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 Keshava with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Keshava. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2016
6 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2019 SSA rank
#11,502
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Keshava: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Keshava 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 Keshava during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Keshava
Keshava is a Sanskrit name derived from the word "Keshava," which is one of the many names of the Hindu god Vishnu. The name is believed to have originated in ancient India, where Hinduism has its roots.
The name "Keshava" can be traced back to the Vedic period, which is considered one of the oldest periods in Indian history, dating back to around 1500-500 BCE. It is found in various Hindu scriptures, including the Bhagavad Gita and the Vishnu Purana, which are among the most important texts in Hinduism.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna, who is believed to be an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, is referred to as Keshava. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "Kesha," which means "hair," and "Va," which means "to dwell." Thus, Keshava can be interpreted as "the one who has long, beautiful hair."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Keshava was Keshava Mishra, a renowned Hindu philosopher and literary theorist who lived in the 14th century CE. He wrote several influential works, including the "Keshava Mishra Prakarana," which explored the philosophy of language and meaning.
Another notable bearer of the name was Keshava Rao Puar, a Maratha ruler who lived in the 17th century CE. He played a significant role in the Maratha Empire and was known for his military prowess and administrative skills.
In more recent history, Keshava Baliram Hedgewar was a prominent Indian independence activist and the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu nationalist organization. He lived from 1889 to 1940 and played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement.
Keshava Deva Shastri was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and author who lived in the 19th century CE. He wrote extensively on various topics, including grammar, philosophy, and literature, and his works are still widely studied in India.
Keshava Rama Hebbar was an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who lived from 1892 to 1972. He was actively involved in the Indian independence movement and worked towards the upliftment of marginalized communities, particularly in the state of Karnataka.
People
Keshava + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keshava 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
Keshava: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keshava?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keshava 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Keshava a common name?
We classify Keshava as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keshava most popular?
The single biggest year for Keshava was 2016, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keshava is about 8 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 Keshava in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keshava a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keshava 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 Keshava still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keshava 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 Keshava 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 Keshava?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Keshava at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.