Vaishnavi
A feminine name derived from the Sanskrit word "vishnu", meaning the supreme being or divinity.
Name Census estimates that about 926 living Americans carry the first name Vaishnavi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vaishnavi today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vaishnavi births was 2008 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vaishnavi. 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
926
~ 1 in 370,145 Americans
Peak year
2008
59 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,267
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Vaishnavi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vaishnavi from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 408 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Vaishnavi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vaishnavi 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 Vaishnavi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vaishnavis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, New Jersey, Texas recorded the most babies named Vaishnavi, while Virginia, Illinois, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vaishnavi
The name Vaishnavi is a Sanskrit name of Hindu origin, derived from the name of the Hindu god Vishnu. It is a feminine form of the masculine name Vishnu, which means "all-pervading" or "omnipresent." The name Vaishnavi is believed to have originated in ancient India, where Hinduism has its roots.
In Hindu mythology, Vishnu is one of the principal deities of the Hindu trinity, along with Brahma and Shiva. He is considered the preserver and protector of the universe, and is often depicted as having four arms, holding a conch shell, a chakra (disc), a mace, and a lotus flower. The name Vaishnavi is closely associated with Vishnu and is often used to refer to his female consorts or devotees.
The name Vaishnavi has been mentioned in several ancient Hindu texts, including the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Puranas. It is believed to have been used as a name for women since ancient times, although the earliest recorded instances of the name are not clear.
Throughout history, there have been several notable women who bore the name Vaishnavi. One of the earliest recorded examples is Vaishnavi Devi, a 10th-century Hindu saint and mystic from Kashmir, who is revered for her devotional poetry and teachings.
Another notable Vaishnavi was Vaishnavi Dasi, a 16th-century Bengali poet and devotee of the Hindu god Krishna. Her works, which include devotional songs and verses, are still widely read and recited in Bengal.
In the 18th century, Vaishnavi Devi was a prominent figure in the Sikh community. She was the wife of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last human Sikh guru, and played a significant role in the establishment of the Khalsa Panth.
Vaishnavi Bai was a 19th-century Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who fought against the British rule in India. She was also known for her efforts to promote women's education and empowerment.
More recently, Vaishnavi Anantharaman was an Indian mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the field of string theory. She was born in 1954 and passed away in 2018.
These are just a few examples of notable women who have borne the name Vaishnavi throughout history. The name has a rich cultural and religious significance in Hinduism and continues to be popular among Hindu communities around the world.
People
Vaishnavi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vaishnavi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vaishnavi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vaishnavi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 926 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vaishnavi 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 370,145 US residents.
Is Vaishnavi a common name?
We classify Vaishnavi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 936 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vaishnavi most popular?
The single biggest year for Vaishnavi was 2008, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vaishnavi is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vaishnavi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vaishnavi 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.