Rikesh
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "radiant" or "shining".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Rikesh. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rikesh today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rikesh births was 1993 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rikesh. 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 Rikesh with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rikesh. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1993
6 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
1993 SSA rank
#8,472
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Rikesh: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Rikesh 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 Rikesh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Rikesh
The name Rikesh has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, with roots dating back to the Vedic period around 1500-500 BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit words "rik" meaning "praise" or "verse," and "isha" meaning "lord" or "master." The name can be interpreted to mean "Lord of Verses" or "Master of Praises."
In Hindu mythology, Rikesh is one of the names associated with the god Vishnu, the preserver and protector of the universe. It is believed that the name was used to refer to Vishnu's ability to inspire devotional poetry and hymns in his honor. The name may have been used by ancient Sanskrit poets and scholars to pay homage to Vishnu and seek his blessings for their creative endeavors.
One of the earliest known references to the name Rikesh can be found in the Rigveda, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism, composed around 1500-1000 BCE. The name appears in several hymns dedicated to various deities, including Vishnu and Indra.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Rikesh. One of the most famous was Rikesh Sharma (1932-2010), an Indian classical vocalist and Padma Shri awardee, renowned for his contributions to Hindustani music. Another notable Rikesh was Rikesh Chandra Dutt (1848-1909), a Bengali writer, historian, and civil servant who authored several works on ancient Indian literature and culture.
Other historical figures with the name Rikesh include Rikesh Ganguli (1856-1920), a Bengali author and playwright known for his satirical works, Rikesh Mukherjee (1910-1988), an Indian freedom fighter and politician who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly, and Rikesh Lal Meena (1918-1998), an Indian folk singer and musician from Rajasthan.
The name Rikesh continues to be used in India, particularly among Hindu communities, as a way to honor the cultural and religious traditions associated with its origins and meaning.
People
Rikesh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rikesh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rikesh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rikesh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rikesh 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Rikesh a common name?
We classify Rikesh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rikesh most popular?
The single biggest year for Rikesh was 1993, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rikesh is about 32 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 Rikesh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rikesh a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rikesh 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 Rikesh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rikesh 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 Rikesh 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 named Rikesh?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.