Sudhanva
A masculine name derived from Sanskrit meaning "having good arrows".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Sudhanva. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sudhanva today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sudhanva births was 2003 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sudhanva. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sudhanva. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2003
5 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2003 SSA rank
#12,518
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Sudhanva: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sudhanva 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 Sudhanva during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Sudhanva
The name Sudhanva has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that traces its roots back to the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have been derived from the combination of two Sanskrit words: "su" meaning "good" or "auspicious," and "dhanva" meaning "bow" or "archer." Thus, the name Sudhanva can be interpreted as "one with an excellent bow" or "skilled archer."
In Hindu mythology and ancient texts, the name Sudhanva is associated with a legendary archer and king from the Puranic era. He is mentioned in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, as the son of King Divodasa and the father of the renowned sage, Krishnadvaipāyana Vyāsa, who is credited with composing the Mahabharata itself.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Sudhanva can be found in the Rig Veda, a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns that date back to the second millennium BCE. In one of the hymns, the name Sudhanva appears as an epithet, referring to a skilled archer or warrior.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Sudhanva:
1. Sudhanva Mishra (14th century CE) was a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer from the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He is best known for his work on the calculation of planetary positions and the computation of eclipses.
2. Sudhanva Deshpande (1933-2016) was an Indian classical vocalist and musicologist from the Khayal Gharana tradition. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor, in 2009 for his contributions to Hindustani classical music.
3. Sudhanva Ranade (born 1971) is an Indian film and television actor known for his work in Marathi and Hindi cinema. He has appeared in several popular shows and movies, including the critically acclaimed film "Court" (2014).
4. Sudhanva Deshmukh (born 1979) is an Indian classical musician and vocalist who specializes in the Khayal and Thumri styles of Hindustani classical music. He comes from a family of renowned musicians and has performed extensively both in India and abroad.
5. Sudhanva Vijayan (born 1988) is an Indian author and screenwriter known for his critically acclaimed debut novel, "Midnight's Grandchildren," which was published in 2015. The novel explores themes of identity, belonging, and the aftermath of the Partition of India.
The name Sudhanva has remained prevalent in various parts of India, particularly in the northern and western regions, where it has been passed down through generations, carrying with it the rich cultural and historical significance associated with its Sanskrit origins.
People
Sudhanva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sudhanva 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
Sudhanva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sudhanva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sudhanva 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Sudhanva a common name?
We classify Sudhanva as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sudhanva most popular?
The single biggest year for Sudhanva was 2003, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sudhanva is about 23 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 Sudhanva in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sudhanva a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sudhanva 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 Sudhanva still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sudhanva 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 Sudhanva 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 Americans are named Sudhanva?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.