Shantanu first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Shantanu has been for the last 22 years (from 1990 to 2011) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Shantanu

A name of Sanskrit origin meaning "peaceful" or "man of peace".

Popularity of Shantanu by gender

Based on the last 22 years of data, Shantanu is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2011, there were 5 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Shantanu.

Year Male Count Female Count
2011 5 0
2010 7 0
2009 5 0
2008 8 0
2007 8 0
2006 6 0
2004 6 0
2002 9 0
1998 5 0
1996 5 0
1990 5 0

The history of the first name Shantanu

The name Shantanu is of Sanskrit origin and has its roots in ancient Indian culture and Hindu mythology. It is a combination of two Sanskrit words, "shanta" meaning peace or calm, and "nu" meaning to praise or extol. Thus, Shantanu can be interpreted as "one who praises peace" or "one who is praised for calmness."

The earliest known reference to the name Shantanu can be found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, where it is the name of a legendary king of the Kuru dynasty. King Shantanu was the father of the famous warrior Bhishma and the grandfather of the Pandava and Kaurava princes, whose conflict forms the central narrative of the Mahabharata.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shantanu was Shantanu Narayen, a 7th-century Indian mathematician and astronomer. He is known for his contributions to the field of trigonometry and his work on the calculation of the value of pi.

Another notable figure with the name Shantanu was Shantanu Biswas, a renowned Indian classical musician from the 20th century. Born in 1919 and passing away in 1987, he was a master of the sitar and is credited with introducing several innovative techniques to the instrument.

In the realm of literature, Shantanu Moitra was a prominent Bengali writer and playwright from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works explored social issues and the struggles of the common people in Bengal during that period.

More recently, Shantanu Narayen is the current CEO of Adobe Inc., a leading software company known for products like Photoshop and Acrobat. He has been at the helm of Adobe since 2007 and has been instrumental in the company's transition to a cloud-based subscription model.

Shantanu Lal Baruah was an Indian independence activist and politician from Assam, who played a significant role in the region's struggle against British rule in the early 20th century. He served as the Chief Minister of Assam from 1939 to 1942.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Shantanu, a name that carries with it the essence of peace, tranquility, and reverence.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Shantanu was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shantanu, please contact us.

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"Shantanu first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 13, 2025. http://namecensus.com/first-names/shantanu-meaning-and-history/.

"Shantanu first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/shantanu-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 13 June, 2025

Shantanu first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/shantanu-meaning-and-history/.

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