Nitin
A Indian masculine name derived from Sanskrit meaning "leader" or "guide".
Name Census estimates that about 622 living Americans carry the first name Nitin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nitin today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nitin births was 2003 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nitin. 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
622
~ 1 in 551,052 Americans
Peak year
2003
30 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,507
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Nitin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nitin 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 231 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
Nitin 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 Nitin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nitins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Illinois, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Nitin, while Texas, New Jersey, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nitin
The given name Nitin is of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "nit," which means "moral" or "righteous." The name can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nitin dates back to the 6th century BCE, when it was mentioned in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics. In this ancient text, Nitin was a warrior who fought alongside the Pandavas in the great battle of Kurukshetra.
Throughout history, the name Nitin has been associated with various notable figures from India. One of the most famous was Nitin Nohria (born in 1962), an Indian-American academic who served as the tenth dean of Harvard Business School from 2010 to 2020.
Another prominent individual with the name Nitin was Nitin Mukesh (born in 1976), an Indian playback singer and son of the legendary Bollywood singer Mukesh. Nitin has made significant contributions to the Indian film industry, lending his voice to numerous popular movies.
In the field of sports, Nitin Menon (born in 1984) is a renowned Indian cricket umpire who has officiated in various international matches, including the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Nitin Sawhney (born in 1964) is a British Indian musician, composer, and producer, known for his unique fusion of Indian and Western musical styles. He has won numerous awards, including a Ivor Novello Award and a British Academy Film Award.
Nitin Nanda (born in 1969) is an Indian entrepreneur and co-founder of the online travel company Yatra.com. He has been recognized for his contributions to the technology and tourism industries in India.
It is worth noting that while the name Nitin has its origins in ancient Sanskrit, it has gained popularity across various regions of India, transcending linguistic and cultural boundaries.
People
Nitin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nitin 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
Nitin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nitin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 622 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nitin 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 551,052 US residents.
Is Nitin a common name?
We classify Nitin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 639 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nitin most popular?
The single biggest year for Nitin was 2003, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nitin is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nitin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nitin 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.