Lakshmi
A feminine name of Hindu origin meaning divine generosity and good fortune.
Name Census estimates that about 840 living Americans carry the first name Lakshmi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lakshmi today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lakshmi births was 2011 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lakshmi. 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.
People living today
840
~ 1 in 408,041 Americans
Peak year
2011
56 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,949
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Lakshmi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lakshmi 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 303 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lakshmi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lakshmi 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 Lakshmi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lakshmis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Lakshmi, while Illinois, New York, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lakshmi
The name Lakshmi originates from the Sanskrit language of ancient India, dating back to around the 3rd century BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit root words "laksh" meaning "to perceive or observe" and "mi" meaning "sacred".
In Hindu mythology, Lakshmi is the name of the goddess of wealth, prosperity, beauty, and good fortune. She is one of the most revered deities in Hinduism and is often depicted as a beautiful woman seated on a lotus flower, accompanied by elephants and showering coins or gems.
The earliest known reference to the name Lakshmi can be found in the sacred Hindu texts of the Vedas, particularly the Rig Veda, which dates back to around 1500 BCE. She is also prominently featured in the Puranas, a collection of ancient Hindu scriptures, and the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Lakshmi was an Indian mathematician and astronomer from the 5th century CE named Lakshmīdāsa. She is credited with writing an influential treatise on mathematics and astronomy called the Laghupātiganita.
Another notable historical figure named Lakshmi was Lakshmi Bai, the Rani (Queen) of Jhansi, who lived from 1828 to 1858. She was a prominent leader during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company and is revered as a symbol of courage and patriotism in India.
In the 12th century, the Indian philosopher and logician Lakshmi Devi wrote several influential works on Nyaya, one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. Her most famous work, the Syādvādamaṇjarī, is a treatise on the philosophical concept of "syādvāda" or "perhaps-ism".
The name Lakshmi was also borne by Lakshmi Sahgal, an Indian revolutionary and officer in the Indian National Army, who fought against the British during World War II. She lived from 1914 to 2012 and was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement.
In the realm of literature, Lakshmi Narain Lal was a renowned Indian author and playwright from the late 19th and early 20th century. He is best known for his novels and plays that explored themes of social reform and portrayed the struggles of women in Indian society.
People
Lakshmi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lakshmi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lakshmi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lakshmi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 840 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lakshmi 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 408,041 US residents.
Is Lakshmi a common name?
We classify Lakshmi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 859 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lakshmi most popular?
The single biggest year for Lakshmi was 2011, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lakshmi is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lakshmi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lakshmi 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.
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.