Mitra
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "friend" or "ally".
Name Census estimates that about 559 living Americans carry the first name Mitra. It is a predominantly female name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Mitra today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mitra births was 1988 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mitra. 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
559
~ 1 in 613,156 Americans
Peak year
1988
20 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2003 SSA rank
#9,993
Tracked since 1961
Gender
Gender distribution for Mitra
Out of the 587 babies given the name Mitra since 1880, 99.1% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Mitra as a male name
- Ranked #12,132 in 2003
- 5 male births in 2003
- Peak: 2003 (5 births)
Mitra as a female name
- Ranked #9,993 in 2024
- 10 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1988 (20 births)
Popularity
Mitra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mitra from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 130 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Mitra remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mitra 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 Mitra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mitras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mitra
The name Mitra originates from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "mitra," which means "friend" or "ally." The name is found in various ancient Hindu texts, including the Vedas and the Upanishads, and is associated with the concept of friendship and goodwill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mitra can be found in the Rig Veda, one of the oldest and most revered Hindu scriptures. In the Rig Veda, Mitra is mentioned as one of the Adityas, a group of solar deities. Mitra is often paired with Varuna, another important Vedic deity, and together they represent the cosmic order and the principles of truth and righteousness.
In ancient Persian mythology, Mithra (or Mitra) was a significant deity associated with the sun, justice, and loyalty. The cult of Mithraism, which originated in Persia and later spread across the Roman Empire, revered Mithra as the central figure. This religion played a significant role in the cultural and religious landscape of the ancient world.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Mitra. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Mitra Kushana, a Kushan emperor who ruled parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India during the 2nd century CE. He was known for his patronage of Buddhist art and architecture, and his reign marked a golden age for the Kushan Empire.
Another prominent figure was Mitra Misra, an Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 9th century CE. He made significant contributions to the fields of trigonometry and algebra, and his works influenced the development of mathematics in India and beyond.
In more recent times, Mitra Sarabhai was an Indian scientist and philanthropist born in 1913. She played a crucial role in establishing the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, India, and was instrumental in promoting classical Indian dance forms.
Mitra Sen, born in 1914, was a renowned Bengali author and activist. She was a pioneering figure in the women's rights movement in India and wrote extensively on social issues, particularly those affecting women and marginalized communities.
Lastly, Mitra Parikh, born in 1950, is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She is known for her contributions to the revival and promotion of the Odissi dance form, a classical Indian dance style originating from the state of Odisha.
People
Mitra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mitra 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
Mitra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mitra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 559 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mitra 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 613,156 US residents.
Is Mitra a common name?
We classify Mitra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 587 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mitra most popular?
The single biggest year for Mitra was 1988, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mitra is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mitra a female name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Mitra 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.