Nithin
A masculine Indian name derived from Sanskrit meaning "ethical" or "righteous".
Name Census estimates that about 363 living Americans carry the first name Nithin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nithin today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nithin births was 2004 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nithin. 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.
People living today
363
~ 1 in 944,227 Americans
Peak year
2004
26 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2019 SSA rank
#9,495
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Nithin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nithin from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 200 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Nithin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nithin 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 Nithin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nithins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nithin
The name Nithin is of Indian origin, specifically from the Sanskrit language. It is a variation of the name Nithin, which means "leader" or "guide." The name gained popularity during the ancient Vedic period in India, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nithin can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic poem. In the text, Nithin is mentioned as the name of a sage who was known for his wisdom and leadership qualities. The name is also found in various Hindu scriptures, where it is often associated with spiritual enlightenment and the pursuit of knowledge.
During the medieval period in India, the name Nithin became more prevalent among the upper classes and was often given to sons of kings and noblemen. One notable figure from this time was Nithin Pal, a 12th-century ruler of the Pala Empire in the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent.
In more recent times, the name Nithin has been carried by several influential figures. One example is Nithin Kamath, an Indian billionaire and co-founder of the online brokerage firm Zerodha, who was born in 1979. Another notable individual is Nithin Renji Panicker, an Indian film actor and producer who has appeared in numerous Malayalam and Tamil films since the early 2000s.
Other historical figures with the name Nithin include Nithin Mukherjee, an Indian classical musician and tabla player who lived from 1917 to 2010, and Nithin Gadkari, an Indian politician and former President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, born in 1957. Additionally, Nithin Kapoor was a prominent Indian cricket umpire who officiated in Test matches and One Day Internationals between 1966 and 1994.
The name Nithin continues to be popular in various parts of India, particularly in the southern regions. While its usage has evolved over time, the name remains deeply rooted in Indian culture and tradition, carrying connotations of leadership, wisdom, and spiritual guidance.
People
Nithin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nithin 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
Nithin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nithin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 363 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nithin 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 944,227 US residents.
Is Nithin a common name?
We classify Nithin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 368 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nithin most popular?
The single biggest year for Nithin was 2004, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nithin is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nithin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nithin 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.