Shivay
A masculine name of Hindu origin meaning "Lord Shiva".
Name Census estimates that about 166 living Americans carry the first name Shivay. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shivay today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shivay births was 2024 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shivay. 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
166
~ 1 in 2,064,785 Americans
Peak year
2024
29 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,869
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Shivay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shivay from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 106 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
Shivay 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 Shivay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shivays live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New Jersey, New York recorded the most babies named Shivay, while New York, New Jersey, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shivay
The name Shivay finds its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the name of the Hindu deity Shiva, who is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, representing the cosmic force of destruction and renewal.
The name Shivay is closely associated with Hindu mythology and religious texts. It is mentioned in the Puranas, which are ancient Hindu texts that narrate the stories of the deities, their incarnations, and their teachings. The name is also found in the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, where Shiva is revered as a powerful and auspicious deity.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Shivay can be traced back to the 7th century CE, when it was used by a Sanskrit scholar and grammarian named Shivay Bhatta. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of Sanskrit grammar and his commentary on the works of the ancient grammarian Panini.
In the 11th century, there was a Hindu philosopher and logician named Shivay Acharya, who made significant contributions to the study of Nyaya, one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. His works were influential in shaping the discourse on logic and epistemology in ancient India.
Another notable figure with the name Shivay was Shivay Mishra, a 16th-century Hindu scholar and poet from the Varanasi region of India. He was known for his literary works in Sanskrit and his devotional poetry dedicated to Lord Shiva.
In the 18th century, Shivay Narain Vyas was a prominent Hindu scholar and author from Rajasthan, India. He wrote extensively on Hindu philosophy, religion, and culture, and his works were widely studied and appreciated during his time.
In more recent history, Shivay Shankar, born in 1928, was an Indian classical vocalist and musician who made significant contributions to the Hindustani classical music tradition. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, in recognition of his achievements in the field of music.
People
Shivay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shivay 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
Shivay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shivay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 166 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shivay 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 2,064,785 US residents.
Is Shivay a common name?
We classify Shivay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 167 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shivay most popular?
The single biggest year for Shivay was 2024, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shivay is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shivay a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shivay in the SSA data are male. 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.