Pihu
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "sweet puddle".
Name Census estimates that about 141 living Americans carry the first name Pihu. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pihu today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pihu births was 2015 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pihu. 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 Pihu with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
141
~ 1 in 2,430,882 Americans
Peak year
2015
19 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,041
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Pihu: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pihu from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 90 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Pihu remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pihu 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 Pihu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pihus live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pihu
The name Pihu has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages spoken in the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have emerged during the Vedic period, which dates back to around 1500-500 BCE. The name Pihu is derived from the Sanskrit word "pihuka," which means "a kind of flower" or "the flower of the silk cotton tree."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pihu can be found in the ancient Hindu text, the Mahabharata, which is an epic narrative that recounts the events leading up to a great war between two branches of a royal family. In the text, Pihu is mentioned as the name of a character, although not much is known about their role or significance.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Pihu. One of the earliest recorded figures was Pihu Devi, a 10th-century Indian princess and queen consort of the Chaulukya dynasty, which ruled parts of present-day Gujarat and Rajasthan. She was renowned for her beauty and intelligence and is believed to have played a significant role in the court of her husband, King Durlabharaja.
Another notable figure was Pihu Khan, a 16th-century Mughal nobleman and military general who served under the reign of Emperor Akbar. He was known for his bravery and strategic prowess on the battlefield and played a crucial role in several important military campaigns during that era.
In more recent times, Pihu Lamba was an Indian-American actress and model who appeared in various Bollywood films and television shows in the late 20th century. She was born in 1968 and gained recognition for her roles in popular films such as "Raja Hindustani" and "Dil To Pagal Hai."
Another notable figure was Pihu Awasthi, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who was born in 1952. She specialized in the Kathak dance form and was widely acclaimed for her performances and contributions to the preservation and promotion of this traditional Indian dance style.
Finally, Pihu Kapoor is a contemporary Indian child actress who has gained recognition for her performances in several Bollywood films, including "Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon" and "Lust Stories." She was born in 2009 and has already earned critical acclaim for her acting skills at a young age.
People
Pihu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pihu as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pihu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pihu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 141 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pihu 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 2,430,882 US residents.
Is Pihu a common name?
We classify Pihu as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 142 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pihu most popular?
The single biggest year for Pihu was 2015, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pihu is about 8 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 Pihu in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pihu a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pihu 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 Pihu still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pihu 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 Pihu 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 are called Pihu?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.