Shourya
A masculine Hindu name meaning "bravery" or "valor".
Name Census estimates that about 478 living Americans carry the first name Shourya. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shourya today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shourya births was 2015 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shourya. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Shourya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
478
~ 1 in 717,059 Americans
Peak year
2015
48 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,158
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Shourya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shourya from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 306 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Shourya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shourya 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 Shourya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shouryas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Shourya, while New Jersey, North Carolina, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shourya
The name Shourya has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that was the root of many modern Indian languages. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Shaurya," which means bravery, valor, or heroism. The name can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, where it was often used to describe warriors, kings, and heroes known for their courage and strength.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Shourya can be found in the Mahabharata, a ancient Sanskrit epic poem that dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In the text, the name is associated with characters who embodied the qualities of bravery and heroism, such as the legendary warrior Arjuna.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Shourya. One of the earliest recorded examples is Shourya Deva, a Hindu king who ruled over parts of present-day Uttar Pradesh in the 11th century CE. He is known for his military campaigns and for patronizing the construction of several temples and monuments.
Another famous bearer of the name was Shourya Ratan Singh, a Rajput warrior and ruler of the Pratihara dynasty in the 9th century CE. He is celebrated for his valor in battles against invading forces and for his efforts to protect the Hindus of the region.
In more recent times, Shourya Pratap Singh was a prominent Indian freedom fighter who participated in the Indian independence movement against British rule in the early 20th century. He was arrested and imprisoned multiple times for his involvement in revolutionary activities.
Shourya Chakraborty was an Indian cricketer who played domestic cricket for Bengal in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was known for his aggressive batting style and his ability to score quickly.
Shourya Agarwal is a contemporary Indian actor and model who has appeared in several Bollywood films and television shows. He gained recognition for his roles in popular TV serials like "Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum" and "Kundali Bhagya."
People
Shourya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shourya 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
Shourya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shourya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 478 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shourya 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 717,059 US residents.
Is Shourya a common name?
We classify Shourya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 482 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shourya most popular?
The single biggest year for Shourya was 2015, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shourya is about 10 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 Shourya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shourya a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shourya 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.
Is Shourya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shourya 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 Shourya 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 have the name Shourya?
See how many people have the name Shourya on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.