Nikhil
An Indian masculine name derived from Sanskrit meaning "whole," "entire," or "perfect."
Name Census estimates that about 5,271 living Americans carry the first name Nikhil. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nikhil today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nikhil births was 2007 (261 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nikhil. 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 Nikhil with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
5.3K
~ 1 in 65,026 Americans
Peak year
2007
261 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,537
Tracked since 1971
Census
Nikhil in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 8,512 people with the first name Nikhil, which placed it at #2,747 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,747
National first-name rank
People counted
8.5K
8,512 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
87.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nikhil
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nikhil is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and White (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nikhil described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nikhil at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.3% · 7,427
- Two or more races7.4% · 631
- White2.9% · 244
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 98
- Black or African American1.1% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Popularity
Nikhil: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nikhil from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 2,141 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
Nikhil 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 Nikhil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nikhils live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. California, New York, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Nikhil, while Tennessee, Oregon, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 188 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nikhil
The name Nikhil is of Indian origin and is derived from the Sanskrit word "Nikhila," which means "complete" or "entire." It is a popular name among Hindus and is believed to bring good luck and prosperity to its bearer.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nikhil can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures, particularly the Vedas, which are among the oldest religious texts in the world. The name is mentioned in various Vedic hymns and mantras, suggesting its significance in Hindu culture and tradition.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Nikhil is Nikhil Chakrabarti, an Indian mathematician and author who lived in the 19th century. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and authored several books on the subject.
Another famous Nikhil in history is Nikhil Banerjee, an Indian classical musician who was a master of the sitar. He was born in 1931 and passed away in 1986. Banerjee was widely regarded as one of the greatest sitar players of his time and popularized Indian classical music globally.
Nikhil Kapur is a renowned Indian actor and film producer who has appeared in numerous Bollywood movies. He was born in 1981 and is known for his roles in films such as "Dil Chahta Hai," "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna," and "Dostana."
Nikhil Chopra is an Indian artist and performance artist who has gained international recognition for his unique and thought-provoking works. He was born in 1974 and is known for his exploration of themes such as identity, memory, and cultural displacement through his art.
Nikhil Advani is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter who has contributed significantly to the Hindi film industry. He was born in 1971 and has directed critically acclaimed movies like "Kal Ho Naa Ho," "Salaam-e-Ishq," and "Patiala House."
The name Nikhil has been popular among Indians for centuries and continues to be a widely chosen name for newborn boys. Its association with completeness and prosperity has made it a favored choice for parents seeking to bestow their children with blessings and good fortune.
People
Nikhil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nikhil 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
Nikhil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nikhil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,271 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nikhil 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 65,026 US residents.
Is Nikhil a common name?
We classify Nikhil as "Rare". It ranks above 96.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,360 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nikhil most popular?
The single biggest year for Nikhil was 2007, when 261 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nikhil is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nikhil in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 8,512 people with the name Nikhil, or 2.82 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,747 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nikhil in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nikhil?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nikhil appears almost entirely male. Of the 8,509 people counted with this name, 99.8% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nikhil?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nikhil is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and White (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nikhil most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nikhil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (7,427 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Nikhil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nikhil a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nikhil 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 Nikhil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nikhil 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 Nikhil 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.
How many people are named Nikhil?
Want to know how many people have the name Nikhil? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.