Nalini
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "lotus" or "water lily".
Name Census estimates that about 335 living Americans carry the first name Nalini. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nalini today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nalini births was 2012 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nalini. 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
335
~ 1 in 1,023,147 Americans
Peak year
2012
19 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,028
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Nalini: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nalini from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 99 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nalini remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nalini 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 Nalini during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nalinis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nalini
The name Nalini has its roots in the Sanskrit language, one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages that originated in ancient India. It is a feminine name derived from the Sanskrit word "nalina," which means lotus flower. The lotus holds great significance in Hindu mythology and is revered as a symbol of purity, spiritual enlightenment, and divine beauty.
In Hindu scriptures, the name Nalini is sometimes associated with various goddesses and celestial beings. For instance, in the Puranas, Nalini is mentioned as one of the twenty-seven wives of the moon god Chandra. Additionally, the term "Nalini" is used as an epithet for the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu, emphasizing her radiant and graceful nature.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nalini can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit literature, including the Vedas, Upanishads, and various Hindu epics. One of the most notable historical figures bearing this name was Nalini Devi, a prominent poet and author from Bengal, who lived in the early 20th century (1873-1938).
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have carried the name Nalini. These include Nalini Ghose (1900-1996), an Indian freedom fighter and activist who worked alongside Mahatma Gandhi; Nalini Kilankuvalappil (1968-2021), an Indian actress and dancer renowned for her contributions to Malayalam cinema; and Nalini Anantharaman (born 1976), a French mathematician and winner of the prestigious Fields Medal in 2022.
Another famous bearer of the name is Nalini Singh, a New Zealand author of contemporary romance and paranormal fiction, known for her bestselling Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series. Nalini Jaywant (1926-2010) was an Indian social worker and environmentalist who received the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, for her efforts in promoting ecological conservation.
The name Nalini has transcended its ancient Sanskrit origins and has been embraced across various cultures and regions, carrying with it the symbolic beauty and purity associated with the lotus flower. Its enduring presence in literature, mythology, and historical records attests to its timeless charm and cultural significance.
People
Nalini + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nalini as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nalini: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nalini?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 335 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nalini 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 1,023,147 US residents.
Is Nalini a common name?
We classify Nalini as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 345 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nalini most popular?
The single biggest year for Nalini was 2012, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nalini is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nalini a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nalini 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.