Swetha
Of Sanskrit origin, meaning "fair" or "white".
Name Census estimates that about 305 living Americans carry the first name Swetha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Swetha today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Swetha births was 2003 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Swetha. 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 Swetha with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
305
~ 1 in 1,123,785 Americans
Peak year
2003
32 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2013 SSA rank
#14,427
Tracked since 1988
Census
Swetha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,793 people with the first name Swetha, which placed it at #5,915 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
#5,915
National first-name rank
People counted
2.8K
2,793 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
97.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swetha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Swetha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Swetha 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 Swetha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.7% · 2,728
- White1.4% · 40
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- Two or more races0.3% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Popularity
Swetha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Swetha 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 174 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
Swetha 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 Swetha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Swethas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Virginia, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Swetha, while Texas, New Jersey, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Swetha
The name Swetha originates from the Sanskrit language, which has its roots in ancient India. It is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit word "svet," which means "white" or "bright." This name has been a popular choice among Hindus for centuries, particularly in South India.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Swetha can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas, which date back to around 1500-500 BCE. In these sacred texts, the name is mentioned in various contexts, often associated with purity, radiance, and divinity.
In ancient Hindu mythology, there are several references to characters bearing the name Swetha or its variants. One notable example is Swetaketu, the son of the renowned sage Aruni, who is mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, a principal text of Hindu philosophy.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Swetha. One of the earliest recorded instances is Swetha, an Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 6th century CE. She is credited with contributing significantly to the development of Indian mathematics and astronomy during the Gupta period.
Another notable figure is Swetha Narayanan (1892-1975), an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer. She played an active role in the Indian independence movement and worked towards the upliftment of women and the underprivileged.
In the field of literature, Swetha Sriram (born 1969) is a renowned Indian author and journalist. She has authored several books, including the acclaimed novel "Batik Rain," which explores the complexities of personal and cultural identities.
Swetha Basu Prasad (born 1992) is an Indian film actress who has appeared in various Bollywood and regional language films. She made her debut in the critically acclaimed film "Madholal Keep Walking" and has since garnered recognition for her performances.
Swetha Menon (born 1981) is a prominent Indian film actress and television personality. She has worked in numerous Malayalam and Tamil films and is known for her versatile acting abilities and philanthropic endeavors.
The name Swetha has a rich historical significance and has been borne by many notable individuals across various fields, reflecting its enduring popularity and cultural resonance.
People
Swetha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Swetha 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
Swetha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Swetha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 305 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Swetha 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 1,123,785 US residents.
Is Swetha a common name?
We classify Swetha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 311 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Swetha most popular?
The single biggest year for Swetha was 2003, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Swetha 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 Swetha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,793 people with the name Swetha, or 0.92 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,915 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 Swetha 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 Swetha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Swetha appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,793 people counted with this name, 99.8% 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 Swetha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Swetha is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.4%) and Black (0.3%). 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 Swetha most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Swetha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.7% (2,728 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 Swetha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Swetha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Swetha 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 Swetha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Swetha 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 Swetha 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 Swetha?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.