Sharma
A name of Sanskrit origin meaning "a moon rayed one".
Name Census estimates that about 341 living Americans carry the first name Sharma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sharma today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sharma births was 1969 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sharma. 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
341
~ 1 in 1,005,145 Americans
Peak year
1969
24 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
1983 SSA rank
#7,179
Tracked since 1935
Popularity
Sharma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sharma from the 1930s through to the 1980s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 134 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
Sharma 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 Sharma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sharmas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sharma
Sharma is a name with its origins in the Sanskrit language and Hinduism. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "Sharma," which means "happiness," "joy," or "bliss." The name is thought to have emerged around the 6th century BCE in ancient India, particularly in the northern regions of the subcontinent.
One of the earliest known references to the name Sharma can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures, the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, there is a mention of a sage named Sharma, who is believed to have composed several hymns and verses. The name also appears in various other Hindu texts, such as the Upanishads and the Puranas, often associated with sages, scholars, and spiritual leaders.
Throughout the centuries, the name Sharma has been borne by numerous notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded examples is Acharya Sharma, a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 5th century CE. He is credited with significant contributions to the field of mathematics, including the development of the concept of zero and the study of infinite series.
Another prominent figure was Ksemendra Sharma, a celebrated 11th-century Kashmiri polymath and writer. He authored numerous works on a wide range of subjects, including poetry, drama, and philosophy. His literary masterpiece, the "Samayamatrika," is a notable contribution to Sanskrit literature.
In the realm of spirituality, Swami Rama Tirtha Sharma (1873-1906) was a prominent figure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a renowned Hindu monk, philosopher, and social reformer who played a significant role in the revival of Vedanta philosophy and the spread of Hindu teachings in the West.
Sharma has also been the name of several influential political leaders throughout history. One notable example is Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Sharma (1887-1961), a prominent Indian freedom fighter and statesman who served as the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh after India's independence.
Another influential figure was Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sharma (1924-2018), a renowned Indian statesman and three-time Prime Minister of India. He was a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and was widely respected for his oratory skills and contributions to Indian politics.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the name Sharma throughout history, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural and spiritual significance in the Indian subcontinent.
People
Sharma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sharma 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
Sharma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sharma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 341 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sharma 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 1,005,145 US residents.
Is Sharma a common name?
We classify Sharma as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 434 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sharma most popular?
The single biggest year for Sharma was 1969, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sharma is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sharma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sharma 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.