Maahi
A feminine name of Hindu origin meaning 'River' or 'Rain'.
Name Census estimates that about 462 living Americans carry the first name Maahi. It is a predominantly female name (98.7% of registrations). The average person named Maahi today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maahi births was 2018 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maahi. 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
462
~ 1 in 741,893 Americans
Peak year
2018
38 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2021 SSA rank
#4,826
Tracked since 2004
Gender
Gender distribution for Maahi
Maahi leans heavily female at 98.7% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Maahi as a male name
- Ranked #11,601 in 2021
- 6 male births in 2021
- Peak: 2021 (6 births)
Maahi as a female name
- Ranked #4,826 in 2024
- 28 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (38 births)
Popularity
Maahi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maahi from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 270 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Maahi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maahi 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 Maahi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Maahis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, New Jersey, Illinois recorded the most babies named Maahi, while Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maahi
The name Maahi is derived from the Sanskrit language and has its roots in ancient Indian culture. It is believed to have originated around the 6th century BCE during the Vedic period. The name is composed of two words, "maa" meaning earth or mother, and "hi" meaning sun or light. Thus, the name Maahi can be interpreted as "light of the earth" or "radiance of the mother."
One of the earliest mentions of the name Maahi can be found in the Rigveda, one of the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. In this sacred text, the name is associated with the divine feminine energy and is often used as an epithet for the goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth, prosperity, and fortune.
The name Maahi gained popularity during the Gupta Empire, which ruled over a large part of the Indian subcontinent between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. During this golden age of Indian culture, the name was commonly bestowed upon girls from affluent families, signifying their importance and the hopes of their parents for their bright and prosperous future.
One of the earliest recorded examples of a person bearing the name Maahi is Maahi Devi, a prominent female poet and scholar who lived during the 7th century CE. She was renowned for her poetic works and her contributions to the field of literature and philosophy.
Another notable figure with the name Maahi was Maahi Rani, a 16th-century queen of the Rajput kingdom of Marwar (present-day Rajasthan). She was known for her courage, wisdom, and skills in warfare, and played a crucial role in defending her kingdom against invaders.
In the realm of art and culture, Maahi Begum was a renowned 17th-century Mughal princess and patron of the arts. She was a skilled calligrapher and a great admirer of poetry, and her patronage helped nurture the development of various art forms during her time.
Moving forward in history, Maahi Moti was a 19th-century Indian freedom fighter and social reformer. She actively participated in the Indian independence movement and worked tirelessly to uplift the status of women in society.
More recently, Maahi Arora (born 1981) is a contemporary Indian actress and model who has appeared in several Bollywood films and television shows. Her name, Maahi, reflects the enduring appeal and cultural significance of this ancient Indian name.
People
Maahi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maahi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maahi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maahi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 462 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maahi 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 741,893 US residents.
Is Maahi a common name?
We classify Maahi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 466 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maahi most popular?
The single biggest year for Maahi was 2018, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maahi is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maahi a female name?
Yes, 98.7% of people registered as Maahi 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.