Prayush
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "dawn" or "daybreak".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Prayush. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Prayush today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prayush births was 2023 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prayush. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Prayush. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2023
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,664
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Prayush: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Prayush 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 Prayush during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Prayush
The name Prayush finds its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was the classical literary language of ancient India. It can be traced back to the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "prayusha," which means "dawn" or "daybreak."
In Hinduism, Prayush is also the name of a sacred river mentioned in the Rig Veda, one of the oldest and most revered texts in the Hindu tradition. The river Prayush is described as a celestial stream, often associated with the concept of spiritual enlightenment and the dawning of knowledge.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Prayush can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Prayush was the name of a king who ruled over the kingdom of Virata during the time when the Pandavas were in exile.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Prayush. One such individual was Prayush Chandra Roy (1894-1961), a renowned Bengali writer, poet, and journalist who made significant contributions to the literary landscape of Bengal during the early 20th century.
Another notable figure was Prayush Sharma (1936-2008), an Indian classical vocalist and exponent of the Khayal style of Hindustani classical music. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, in 2000 for his contributions to the field of music.
In the field of science, Prayush Mukherjee (1923-2012) was an eminent Indian physicist and a former professor at the University of Calcutta. He made significant contributions to the study of theoretical nuclear physics and was a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, India's highest honor in the field of science and technology.
Prayush Mishra (born 1978) is a contemporary Indian actor and playwright who has gained recognition for his performances in both Hindi cinema and theater. He has received numerous awards and accolades, including the prestigious National Film Award for Best Actor in 2012.
Prayush Shukla (born 1983) is an Indian cricketer who has represented India in various international tournaments, including the Cricket World Cup. He is particularly known for his skills as a right-arm medium-fast bowler and has played a significant role in the Indian cricket team's success.
People
Prayush + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prayush 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
Prayush: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prayush?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prayush 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Prayush a common name?
We classify Prayush as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Prayush most popular?
The single biggest year for Prayush was 2023, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prayush is about 3 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 Prayush in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Prayush a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Prayush 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 Prayush still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Prayush 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 Prayush 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 have the name Prayush?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.