Krishen
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "dark" or "black".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Krishen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Krishen today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Krishen births was 2013 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Krishen. 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 Krishen with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Krishen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2013
5 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2013 SSA rank
#13,219
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Krishen: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Krishen 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 Krishen 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Krishen
The name Krishen is a variant of the Sanskrit name Krishna, which has its roots in Hinduism and Indian culture. The name Krishna is derived from the Sanskrit word "krish," which means "black" or "dark," referring to the dark complexion of Lord Krishna, a prominent deity in Hinduism.
The name Krishna is associated with the Hindu god, Lord Krishna, who is an avatar (incarnation) of the supreme deity, Vishnu. Lord Krishna is revered in Hindu scriptures, such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Mahabharata, where he is portrayed as a divine figure who imparts wisdom and guidance to humanity.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Krishna can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic composed between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. In this epic, Krishna is depicted as a central character who plays a pivotal role in the events of the Kurukshetra War.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Krishen or its variations. One of the most famous was Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529 CE), a renowned ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire in South India. He was known for his patronage of art, literature, and architecture, and his reign is often considered a golden age in the history of the region.
Another notable figure was Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (1794-1868 CE), the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, who was known for his progressive reforms and efforts to modernize his kingdom. He was also a patron of literature and the arts.
In the field of music, Krishen Khanna (1925-2022 CE) was a celebrated Indian artist and painter, known for his contributions to the modern art movement in India. His works are renowned for their bold colors and abstract forms.
Krishen Jit Arora (1928-2019 CE) was a prominent Indian author and playwright, recognized for his contributions to Punjabi literature. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award, one of India's highest literary honors, for his novel "Akkhar" in 1965.
Krishen Iyer (1911-1984 CE) was an Indian politician and freedom fighter who played an active role in the Indian independence movement. He served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and was involved in drafting the Indian Constitution.
People
Krishen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Krishen 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
Krishen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Krishen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Krishen 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Krishen a common name?
We classify Krishen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Krishen most popular?
The single biggest year for Krishen was 2013, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Krishen is about 13 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 Krishen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Krishen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Krishen 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 Krishen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Krishen 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 Krishen 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 Americans are named Krishen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.