Sisira
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning cool, refreshing.
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the first name Sisira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sisira today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sisira births was 2019 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sisira. 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 Sisira with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
158
~ 1 in 2,169,331 Americans
Peak year
2019
22 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,332
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Sisira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sisira from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 80 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
Sisira 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 Sisira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sisiras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sisira
The name Sisira has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that flourished in the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "shishira," which means "dew" or "coolness." The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times, particularly in regions where Sanskrit was prevalent, such as India, Nepal, and parts of Southeast Asia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sisira can be found in Hindu scriptures and ancient Indian literature. In the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic, there is a character named Sisira, who is described as a king from the Kuru dynasty. This reference suggests that the name was in use during the epic's composition, which is estimated to have occurred between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sisira. One of the earliest recorded was Sisira Kumara (c. 450 BCE - 370 BCE), a renowned Sanskrit grammarian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of language and linguistics in ancient India.
Another prominent figure with the name Sisira was Sisir Kumar Ghosh (1840 - 1911), a Bengali writer, journalist, and social reformer who played a pivotal role in the Bengal Renaissance movement of the 19th century. He founded the influential literary journal "Bharati" and advocated for women's education and social reforms.
In the field of literature, Sisir Misra (1889 - 1959) was a renowned Oriya poet and playwright. His works, such as "Kavita Kaumudi" and "Champu Ramayan," are considered classics of Oriya literature and have left a lasting impact on the literary landscape of Odisha.
In the realm of sports, Sisira Jayasuriya (born 1960) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who represented the national team in the 1980s and 1990s. He was a left-arm spin bowler known for his accurate line and length.
Another notable individual with the name Sisira is Sisira Pandita (born 1976), a Sri Lankan-born British mathematician and academic. He is a professor at the University of Oxford and has made significant contributions to the fields of arithmetic geometry and number theory.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Sisira throughout history, spanning various fields such as literature, academia, sports, and philosophy. The name's Sanskrit origins and its association with concepts like "dew" and "coolness" have likely contributed to its enduring popularity across different regions and cultures.
People
Sisira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sisira 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
Sisira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sisira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 158 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sisira 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 2,169,331 US residents.
Is Sisira a common name?
We classify Sisira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 159 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sisira most popular?
The single biggest year for Sisira was 2019, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sisira is about 7 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 Sisira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sisira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sisira 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.
Is Sisira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sisira 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 Sisira 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 Sisira?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Sisira, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.