Narayana
A Sanskrit masculine name meaning the source of all beings or the supreme being.
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Narayana. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 77.3% of registrations being male. The average person named Narayana today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Narayana births was 1979 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Narayana. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Narayana. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
1979
6 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,412
Tracked since 1979
Gender
Gender distribution for Narayana
Narayana is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 22 total registrations, 17 (77.3%) were male and 5 (22.7%) were female.
Narayana as a male name
- Ranked #13,412 in 2006
- 5 male births in 2006
- Peak: 1979 (6 births)
Narayana as a female name
- Ranked #17,323 in 2002
- 5 female births in 2002
- Peak: 2002 (5 births)
Popularity
Narayana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Narayana from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 10 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Narayana 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 Narayana 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 Narayana
The name Narayana has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient language of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the words "nara" meaning "human" or "man," and "ayana" meaning "resting place" or "refuge." This combination translates to "the abode or refuge of humans," a name that has deep religious and cultural significance in Hinduism.
Narayana is one of the many names used to refer to the Supreme Being or the Godhead in Hindu scriptures and mythology. It is particularly associated with Lord Vishnu, the preserver and protector of the universe in the Hindu trinity. The name is mentioned in various ancient Hindu texts, including the Vedas, Upanishads, and the epic Mahabharata.
One of the earliest recorded references to Narayana can be found in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, an influential Upanishad dating back to around the 6th century BCE. Here, Narayana is described as the Supreme Being, the source of all creation, and the ultimate refuge for all beings.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Narayana. One of the most famous is Narayana Bhatta (c. 1560-1640), a renowned Sanskrit scholar and author from the Indian state of Kerala. He is known for his works on grammar, philosophy, and astronomy, including the celebrated text "Narayaniya."
Another historical figure with this name is Narayana Guru (1856-1928), a social reformer and spiritual leader from Kerala. He played a significant role in promoting social equality and fighting against the caste system in India. His teachings and philosophy of "One Caste, One Religion, One God for Mankind" had a profound impact on the region.
Narayana Pandita (c. 13th century) was a prominent Hindu philosopher and logician from Kashmir. He is celebrated for his works on the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy, particularly his commentary on the Brahma Sutras, a foundational text of Vedanta.
In the field of mathematics, Narayana Pandit (c. 14th century) was an Indian mathematician and astronomer from the state of Maharashtra. He is known for his contributions to the study of infinite series and his work on the so-called "Narayana cows" problem, which involves the application of recursion relations.
Lastly, Narayana Ayyar (1871-1945) was a renowned Indian lawyer, judge, and legal scholar from Tamil Nadu. He served as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court and was a member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the highest court of appeal for the British Empire at the time.
People
Narayana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Narayana 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
Narayana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Narayana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Narayana 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 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Narayana a common name?
We classify Narayana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Narayana most popular?
The single biggest year for Narayana was 1979, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Narayana is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Narayana a male name?
Yes, 77.3% of people registered as Narayana 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.
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.