Sneha
A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin meaning "love, affection".
Name Census estimates that about 1,401 living Americans carry the first name Sneha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sneha today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sneha births was 2002 (94 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sneha. 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 Sneha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 244,650 Americans
Peak year
2002
94 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,974
Tracked since 1975
Census
Sneha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,168 people with the first name Sneha, which placed it at #4,467 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,467
National first-name rank
People counted
4.2K
4,168 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
96.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sneha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sneha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (0.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sneha described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Sneha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.2% · 4,011
- White2.1% · 89
- Black or African American0.6% · 26
- Two or more races0.4% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Popularity
Sneha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sneha from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 679 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
Sneha 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 Sneha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Snehas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. California, New Jersey, Texas recorded the most babies named Sneha, while Washington, North Carolina, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sneha
The name Sneha has its roots in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that originated in the Indian subcontinent around the 2nd millennium BCE. Derived from the word "sneha," which means love, affection, or fondness, this name carries a warm and endearing connotation.
In Hinduism, Sneha is revered as one of the names of the goddess Lakshmi, the embodiment of wealth, fortune, and prosperity. This association with the divine further enhances the name's significance and auspiciousness.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sneha can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts such as the Vedas and Upanishads, where it was used to symbolize the virtues of compassion, kindness, and loving-kindness.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sneha. One of the earliest was Sneha, a renowned Indian philosopher and scholar who lived during the 5th century CE. Her treatise on the nature of consciousness and self-awareness remains an influential work in Indian philosophy.
In the realm of literature, Sneha Devi was a celebrated 16th-century Bengali poet whose lyrical compositions explored themes of devotion, spirituality, and the human condition. Her works are revered as literary gems and continue to inspire readers across generations.
The name Sneha also graced the stage of Indian classical dance. Sneha Sathe, born in 1892, was a pioneering figure in the revival of the Bharatanatyam dance form. Her graceful performances and unwavering dedication to preserving this ancient art form earned her widespread acclaim.
In more recent times, Sneha Shanker, born in 1937, made her mark as a trailblazing Indian jurist. As one of the first women to be appointed to the Supreme Court of India, her landmark rulings and unwavering commitment to justice have left an indelible mark on the country's legal landscape.
Another notable figure is Sneha Wagh, born in 1986, a renowned Indian actress who has captivated audiences with her powerful performances in both film and television. Her ability to portray complex characters with depth and nuance has garnered her critical acclaim and numerous accolades.
These are just a few examples of the many remarkable individuals who have carried the name Sneha throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human achievement.
People
Sneha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sneha 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
Sneha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sneha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,401 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sneha 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 244,650 US residents.
Is Sneha a common name?
We classify Sneha as "Rare". It ranks above 92.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,434 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sneha most popular?
The single biggest year for Sneha was 2002, when 94 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sneha is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sneha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,168 people with the name Sneha, or 1.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,467 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Sneha in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sneha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sneha appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,172 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sneha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sneha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Black (0.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Sneha most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sneha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (4,011 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Sneha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sneha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sneha 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 Sneha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sneha 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 Sneha 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.
How many people are named Sneha?
Find out how many Americans are named Sneha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.