Shanti
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "peace" or "tranquility".
Name Census estimates that about 1,919 living Americans carry the first name Shanti. It is a predominantly female name (93.0% of registrations). The average person named Shanti today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shanti births was 2003 (77 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shanti. 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
1.9K
~ 1 in 178,611 Americans
Peak year
2003
77 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1992 SSA rank
#6,339
Tracked since 1966
Gender
Gender distribution for Shanti
Shanti leans heavily female at 93.0% of total registrations, but 140 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shanti as a male name
- Ranked #9,590 in 1992
- 5 male births in 1992
- Peak: 1971 (14 births)
Shanti as a female name
- Ranked #6,339 in 2024
- 19 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2003 (77 births)
Popularity
Shanti: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shanti from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 534 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shanti 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 Shanti during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shantis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Shanti, while Washington, Pennsylvania, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 66 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shanti
The name Shanti is a Sanskrit word meaning "peace" or "tranquility." Its origins can be traced back to ancient India, where it was first used as a name for both boys and girls. The name is deeply rooted in Hindu philosophy and is often associated with the concepts of inner peace, harmony, and spiritual enlightenment.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Shanti can be found in the Upanishads, ancient Hindu scriptures dating back to around the 8th century BCE. In these texts, Shanti is described as a state of being where one is free from suffering, turmoil, and the cycle of birth and death.
In the Indian epic Mahabharata, which is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE, there is a character named Shanti, who is the embodiment of peace and wisdom. She is portrayed as a virtuous woman who helps guide the protagonists through their struggles and challenges.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Shanti. One of the earliest recorded was Shanti Devi (1926-1994), an Indian freedom fighter and social activist who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. She was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and worked tirelessly for the rights of women and the underprivileged.
Another prominent figure was Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar (1894-1955), an Indian chemist and scientific administrator. He is considered the father of research laboratories in India and was instrumental in establishing several prestigious scientific institutions, including the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
In the realm of literature, Shanti Bhikshu (1926-2011) was a renowned Indian novelist and playwright. His works, which often explored themes of spirituality and social issues, won him numerous awards and accolades, including the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honor.
Shanti Anand (1935-2021) was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who played a significant role in popularizing Kathak, one of the major classical dance forms of India. She was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors.
Lastly, Shanti Devi (1926-1987) was an Indian freedom fighter and social activist who dedicated her life to the empowerment of women and the upliftment of rural communities. She worked closely with Vinoba Bhave, a prominent leader of the Bhoodan movement, which aimed to redistribute land to the landless.
People
Shanti + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shanti 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
Shanti: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shanti?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,919 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shanti 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 178,611 US residents.
Is Shanti a common name?
We classify Shanti as "Rare". It ranks above 93.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,014 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shanti most popular?
The single biggest year for Shanti was 2003, when 77 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shanti is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shanti a female name?
Yes, 93.0% of people registered as Shanti 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.
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.