Sindhu
An Indian feminine name derived from the Sanskrit word for "river".
Name Census estimates that about 185 living Americans carry the first name Sindhu. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sindhu today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sindhu births was 2006 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sindhu. 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
185
~ 1 in 1,852,726 Americans
Peak year
2006
18 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2010 SSA rank
#16,698
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Sindhu: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sindhu from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 120 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sindhu 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 Sindhu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sindhus live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sindhu
The name Sindhu has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "sindhu," meaning "river" or "ocean." The name is closely tied to the Indus River, one of the major rivers in ancient India and Pakistan, which was known as the Sindhu in Sanskrit.
The earliest recorded use of the name Sindhu can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Rigveda, which dates back to around 1500-1000 BCE. In these texts, the Indus River is referred to as the Sindhu, and the name was closely associated with the region and culture that developed along its banks.
One of the most famous historical references to the name Sindhu can be found in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. The epic mentions the kingdom of Sindhu, which was located in the region around the Indus River.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Sindhu. One of the earliest examples is Sindhu, a Hindu philosopher and grammarian who lived during the 4th century BCE. He is known for his work on the Sanskrit language and his contributions to the field of linguistics.
Another notable figure is Sindhu Mishra, an Indian poet and writer who lived during the 16th century CE. She is renowned for her contributions to the Braj Bhasha literary tradition and her devotional poetry dedicated to the Hindu god Krishna.
In more recent times, Sindhu Menon (1907-1985) was an Indian social reformer and activist who played a significant role in the women's rights movement in Kerala, India. She was also a member of the Indian National Congress and fought for India's independence from British rule.
Sindhu Vijayakumar (born 1994) is a contemporary Indian actress and model who has appeared in several Malayalam and Tamil films. She is known for her roles in movies such as "Premam" and "Kammattipadam."
Sindhu Nair (born 1991) is an Indian badminton player who has represented India in various international tournaments. She has won several medals, including a gold medal at the 2011 Commonwealth Games in the women's singles event.
People
Sindhu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sindhu 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
Sindhu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sindhu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 185 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sindhu 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 1,852,726 US residents.
Is Sindhu a common name?
We classify Sindhu as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 189 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sindhu most popular?
The single biggest year for Sindhu was 2006, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sindhu is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sindhu a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sindhu 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.