Nirali
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "unique" or "different".
Name Census estimates that about 328 living Americans carry the first name Nirali. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nirali today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nirali births was 1993 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nirali. 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 Nirali with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
328
~ 1 in 1,044,983 Americans
Peak year
1993
19 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,084
Tracked since 1978
Census
Nirali in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 816 people with the first name Nirali, which placed it at #14,446 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
#14,446
National first-name rank
People counted
816
816 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nirali
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nirali is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Nirali 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 Nirali at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.1% · 776
- White2.3% · 19
- Two or more races1.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 7
- Black or African American0.7% · 6
Popularity
Nirali: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nirali from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 147 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nirali 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 Nirali during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Niralis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nirali
The name Nirali has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the classical languages of the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "niraali," which means "unique" or "different." The name likely emerged during the ancient period of Indian history, when Sanskrit was the primary language used for religious and scholarly texts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nirali can be found in the ancient Hindu scripture, the Mahabharata. In this epic, there is a character named Nirali who is described as a beautiful and virtuous woman. While the exact time period of the Mahabharata is debated, it is generally believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE.
In the 12th century CE, there was a famous Indian poet and philosopher named Nirali Devi, who wrote extensively on spiritual topics. Her works explored the concepts of love, devotion, and the human experience. Nirali Devi was highly revered in her time and is still celebrated as a influential figure in Indian literature.
During the 16th century, there was a renowned female warrior named Nirali Bai who fought against the Mughal Empire in present-day Rajasthan, India. Nirali Bai was known for her bravery and tactical skills on the battlefield, and she is remembered as a symbol of resistance against foreign rule.
In the 18th century, there was a notable Indian painter named Nirali Kanta who was renowned for her vibrant and intricate miniature paintings. Her works often depicted scenes from Hindu mythology and are considered important examples of the Rajput style of painting.
Another notable figure with the name Nirali was the 19th-century Indian social reformer Nirali Desai. She was a vocal advocate for women's education and played a significant role in establishing several schools for girls in her home state of Maharashtra. Nirali Desai's efforts helped to challenge traditional gender norms and promote greater opportunities for women in India.
While the name Nirali is not as common as some other Indian names, it has a rich history and cultural significance rooted in the Sanskrit language and ancient Indian traditions. The name has been borne by notable figures throughout various eras, ranging from literary personalities to warriors and social reformers.
People
Nirali + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nirali 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
Nirali: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nirali?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 328 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nirali 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 1,044,983 US residents.
Is Nirali a common name?
We classify Nirali as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 339 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nirali most popular?
The single biggest year for Nirali was 1993, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nirali is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nirali in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 816 people with the name Nirali, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,446 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 Nirali 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 Nirali?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nirali appears almost entirely female. Of the 813 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Nirali?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nirali is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Nirali most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nirali in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (776 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 Nirali in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nirali a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nirali 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.
Is Nirali still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nirali 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 Nirali 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 common is the name Nirali?
See how many people have the name Nirali on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.