Nirvan
A masculine name of Hindu origin meaning "state of liberation".
Name Census estimates that about 442 living Americans carry the first name Nirvan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nirvan today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nirvan births was 2018 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nirvan. 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 Nirvan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
442
~ 1 in 775,462 Americans
Peak year
2018
36 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,306
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Nirvan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nirvan 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 237 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nirvan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nirvan 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 Nirvan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nirvans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Nirvan, while New Jersey, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nirvan
The name Nirvan has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was prevalent in ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "nirvana," which literally means "extinguished" or "blown out," signifying the liberation of the soul from the cycle of rebirth and the attainment of enlightenment in the Buddhist tradition.
The concept of nirvana holds a significant place in Hinduism and Buddhism, and the name Nirvan reflects this spiritual and philosophical connection. It first appeared in ancient Hindu and Buddhist texts, such as the Upanishads and the Dhammapada, which date back to several centuries BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nirvan can be found in the life of Nirvan Shastri, a renowned Hindu scholar and philosopher who lived in the 8th century CE. He was widely respected for his extensive knowledge of the Vedas and his contributions to the study of Sanskrit literature.
In the 12th century, there was a Buddhist monk named Nirvan Gyatso, who was renowned for his teachings on the path to enlightenment. He was instrumental in spreading the principles of Buddhism throughout the Himalayan regions.
During the 16th century, a Sufi mystic and poet from India named Nirvan Nath gained fame for his spiritual verses, which were widely read and appreciated by both Hindus and Muslims.
In more recent times, Nirvan Mangaldas was an influential Indian industrialist and philanthropist who lived from 1866 to 1942. He was known for his contributions to the textile industry and his support for various social and educational causes.
Another notable figure with the name Nirvan was Nirvan Bhargava, an Indian scientist and academic who lived from 1920 to 2008. He made significant contributions to the field of biochemistry and was instrumental in establishing several research institutes in India.
It is worth noting that while the name Nirvan is predominantly found in the Indian subcontinent, it has also been adopted by individuals from various cultural backgrounds, drawn to its spiritual and philosophical connotations.
People
Nirvan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nirvan 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
Nirvan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nirvan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 442 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nirvan 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 775,462 US residents.
Is Nirvan a common name?
We classify Nirvan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 445 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nirvan most popular?
The single biggest year for Nirvan was 2018, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nirvan is about 9 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 Nirvan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nirvan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nirvan 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 Nirvan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nirvan 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 Nirvan 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 Nirvan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.