Santosha
A Sanskrit name meaning contentment, satisfaction, and acceptance of one's circumstances.
Name Census estimates that about 81 living Americans carry the first name Santosha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Santosha today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Santosha births was 1973 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Santosha. 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 Santosha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
81
~ 1 in 4,231,535 Americans
Peak year
1973
23 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1977 SSA rank
#9,369
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Santosha: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Santosha 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 Santosha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 90 | 90 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Santosha
The name Santosha originates from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the root word "santosha," which means contentment, satisfaction, or tranquility. This name has been used predominantly in Hindu and Buddhist cultures, where it reflects spiritual values and a state of inner peace and contentment.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Santosha can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. These sacred texts often mention the concept of santosha as a virtue and a state of mind that one should strive for on the path to enlightenment and spiritual liberation.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Santosha. One of the earliest known was Santosha Devi (c. 1650-1720), a renowned female Hindu mystic and saint from the Rajput kingdom of Marwar (present-day Rajasthan, India). She is revered for her spiritual teachings and her contributions to the Bhakti movement, which emphasized devotional worship and love for the divine.
Another prominent figure was Santosha Nath Goswami (1755-1835), a Bengali Hindu scholar and spiritual leader who played a significant role in reviving and promoting the teachings of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition in Bengal. He was a prolific writer and authored several works on Vaishnavite philosophy and devotional literature.
In the 20th century, Santosha Yogananda (1906-1994) was a renowned Indian yoga teacher and author. He was instrumental in popularizing yoga and introducing it to the Western world. His teachings focused on the holistic approach of yoga, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual aspects.
The name Santosha has also been associated with notable figures in the Buddhist tradition. One such individual was Santosha Maha Thera (1887-1970), a revered Buddhist monk and scholar from Sri Lanka. He played a pivotal role in the revival and propagation of Theravada Buddhism in the country and was widely respected for his extensive knowledge of Buddhist scriptures and teachings.
Another notable bearer of the name was Santosha Devi Azhagiya Singaram (1920-2005), a renowned Indian dancer and choreographer who helped popularize and preserve the classical Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam. She was awarded numerous honors for her contribution to the art form, including the prestigious Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors.
People
Santosha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Santosha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Santosha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Santosha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 81 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Santosha 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 4,231,535 US residents.
Is Santosha a common name?
We classify Santosha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 90 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Santosha most popular?
The single biggest year for Santosha was 1973, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Santosha is about 52 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 Santosha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Santosha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Santosha 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 Santosha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Santosha 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 Santosha 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 Santosha?
See how many people have the name Santosha on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.