Sayani
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "evening song".
Name Census estimates that about 142 living Americans carry the first name Sayani. It is a predominantly female name (96.5% of registrations). The average person named Sayani today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sayani births was 2024 (49 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sayani. 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
142
~ 1 in 2,413,763 Americans
Peak year
2024
49 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2023 SSA rank
#3,256
Tracked since 2008
Gender
Gender distribution for Sayani
Sayani leans heavily female at 96.5% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Sayani as a male name
- Ranked #13,825 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (5 births)
Sayani as a female name
- Ranked #3,256 in 2024
- 49 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (49 births)
Popularity
Sayani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sayani from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 109 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sayani 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 Sayani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sayanis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Sayani, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sayani
The name Sayani has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The name Sayani is derived from the Sanskrit word "sayani," which means "bed" or "resting place." It is believed that the name was initially used to refer to a place where one could rest or find solace.
In ancient Hindu texts, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, the word "sayani" is mentioned in various contexts, often in reference to a sacred or divine resting place. It is possible that the name Sayani was initially used to denote someone who was associated with sacred spaces or rituals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sayani can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic composed between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. In the epic, there is a character named Sayani, who is described as a skilled archer and warrior.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Sayani. One of the most famous was Sayani Gupta, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who lived in the 20th century (1935-2011). She was renowned for her contributions to the Odissi dance form and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1964.
Another notable figure was Sayani Basu, an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter who was active in the Bengali film industry in the latter half of the 20th century. Her films explored themes of social justice and women's empowerment, and she is considered a pioneer in the realm of feminist cinema in India.
In the realm of music, Sayani Brahmachari was a prominent Bengali singer and composer who lived in the early 20th century (1887-1966). She was known for her contributions to the genre of Rabindra Sangeet, which encompasses the songs and poetry of the celebrated Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore.
Sayani Gupta, an Indian actress and model, has also gained recognition in recent years for her performances in various Bollywood films and web series. She made her debut in the 2012 film "Margarita, With a Straw" and has since appeared in acclaimed works such as "Article 15" and the Netflix series "Leila."
Furthermore, Sayani Roy, an Indian-American writer and journalist, has gained recognition for her works exploring themes of identity, culture, and diaspora. Her novel "The Weight of Silence" was widely acclaimed and explored the complexities of gender and societal expectations in Indian communities.
People
Sayani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sayani 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
Sayani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sayani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 142 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sayani 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 2,413,763 US residents.
Is Sayani a common name?
We classify Sayani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 143 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sayani most popular?
The single biggest year for Sayani was 2024, when 49 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sayani is about 5 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 Sayani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sayani a female name?
Yes, 96.5% of people registered as Sayani 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 Sayani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sayani 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 Sayani 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 share the name Sayani?
Want to know how many people have the name Sayani? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.