Namish
A masculine name of Indian origin meaning "humble" or "modest".
Name Census estimates that about 105 living Americans carry the first name Namish. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Namish today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Namish births was 2016 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Namish. 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 Namish with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
105
~ 1 in 3,264,327 Americans
Peak year
2016
15 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,456
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Namish: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Namish 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 64 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Namish remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Namish 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 Namish during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Namishs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Namish
The name Namish has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that originated on the Indian subcontinent around the 2nd millennium BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "namah," which means "to bow" or "to pay homage." In Hindu culture, this word is often used as a respectful salutation or greeting.
Namish is a masculine name that was commonly used in ancient and medieval India. It is believed to have first appeared in Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Vedas and Upanishads, which date back to around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. The name was often given to children with the hope that they would grow up to be humble, respectful, and devout individuals.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Namish can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic poem that dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In this epic, there is a character named Namish who was a sage and a teacher of the Vedas.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Namish. One such person was Namish Arya, a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 5th century CE. He is credited with making significant contributions to the fields of trigonometry and spherical geometry.
Another famous Namish was Namish Pandit, a Hindu scholar and philosopher who lived in the 16th century CE. He was a prominent figure in the Nath tradition, a Hindu spiritual movement that emphasized the attainment of enlightenment through yogic practices.
In the 18th century, there was a Namish Chandra, a Bengali poet and writer who is celebrated for his works in the Bengali language. His poetry often explored themes of love, devotion, and spirituality.
Namish Arora was a notable Indian cricketer who played for the Indian national team in the late 20th century. He was a skilled opening batsman and was known for his aggressive style of play.
Finally, Namish Mehta is a contemporary Indian singer and composer who has gained popularity for his fusion of traditional Indian music with modern genres like pop and rock.
While the name Namish has its roots in ancient India, it has transcended cultural boundaries and has been adopted by people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds around the world.
People
Namish + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Namish 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
Namish: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Namish?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 105 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Namish 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 3,264,327 US residents.
Is Namish a common name?
We classify Namish as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 106 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Namish most popular?
The single biggest year for Namish was 2016, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Namish is about 12 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 Namish in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Namish a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Namish 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 Namish still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Namish 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 Namish 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 people share the name Namish?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.