Maanav
Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "human being" or "mankind".
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the first name Maanav. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Maanav today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maanav births was 2002 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maanav. 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 Maanav with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
158
~ 1 in 2,169,331 Americans
Peak year
2002
11 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,575
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Maanav: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maanav from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 85 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maanav 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 Maanav during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maanav
The name Maanav has its origins in Sanskrit, one of the oldest and most influential languages of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "manava," which means "human being" or "man." The name Maanav can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, which date back to around the 2nd millennium BCE.
In Hindu mythology, Maanav is often associated with the concept of dharma, which refers to the moral and ethical principles that govern human behavior. The name is believed to have been given to individuals who embodied these principles and lived in harmony with the natural order of the universe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maanav can be found in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. The epic tells the story of a great war between two branches of a royal family, and it includes references to several characters with the name Maanav.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Maanav. One of the most famous was Maanav Mishra, a renowned Indian philosopher and scholar who lived in the 9th century CE. He was known for his contributions to the field of Nyaya, one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy.
Another notable figure was Maanav Ganguli, an Indian writer and translator who lived in the 19th century. He is best known for his English translation of the Mahabharata, which is considered one of the most comprehensive and accurate translations of the epic to date.
In more recent times, Maanav Kaul was an Indian actor and playwright who gained recognition for his contributions to the theater. He was born in 1966 and was known for his avant-garde productions and his efforts to promote contemporary Indian theater.
Maanav Thapar was an Indian businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded one of India's largest software companies, HCL Technologies. He was born in 1954 and played a pivotal role in the development of the Indian information technology industry.
Maanav Sharma was an Indian cricketer who played for the Indian national team in the 1990s. He was a talented all-rounder and was known for his aggressive batting style and effective medium-pace bowling.
People
Maanav + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maanav 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
Maanav: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maanav?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 158 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maanav 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 2,169,331 US residents.
Is Maanav a common name?
We classify Maanav as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 160 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maanav most popular?
The single biggest year for Maanav was 2002, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maanav is about 16 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 Maanav in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maanav a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maanav 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 Maanav still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maanav 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 Maanav 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 Maanav?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.