Vasisht
A masculine name of Hindu origin meaning "most wealthy" or "prosperous".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Vasisht. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vasisht today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vasisht births was 2015 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vasisht. 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 Vasisht. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2015
6 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2015 SSA rank
#11,996
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Vasisht: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Vasisht 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 Vasisht during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Vasisht
The given name Vasisht is of ancient Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "Vasistha," which means "the richest" or "the most excellent." This name has a long and storied history, tracing its roots back to the Vedic period in ancient India.
Vasisht is the name of one of the revered Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages) in Hindu mythology. The Vasistha Rishi is regarded as the chief priest and spiritual preceptor of the Ikshvaku dynasty, which included Lord Rama. The Vasistha Samhita, a part of the sacred Yajurveda, is attributed to this sage.
In the epic Ramayana, Vasistha plays a crucial role as the advisor and mentor to King Dasharatha and his sons, including the central character, Lord Rama. The sage's wisdom and guidance are sought throughout the narrative, highlighting his significance in Hindu scriptures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vasisht can be found in the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedic texts, dated around 1500-1200 BCE. The Rishi Vasistha is credited with authoring several hymns in the Rigveda, cementing his place in ancient Indian literature.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Vasisht. One such figure was Vasistha Narayan Singh (1824-1899), a prominent Indian reformer, educator, and writer who played a significant role in the Bengal Renaissance movement.
Another notable bearer of this name was Vasistha Bhargava (c. 1st century BCE), a renowned grammarian and scholar who wrote the influential work Ganapatha, which is still studied by students of Sanskrit grammar.
In the realm of Indian philosophy, Vasistha Gauda (c. 7th century CE) was a prominent thinker and author of the influential text Nyayasutra-Bhashya, which expounded on the Nyaya school of Indian philosophy.
The name Vasisht also holds significance in the field of astronomy. Vasistha Chandra Dutt (1920-2006) was an eminent Indian astronomer and physicist who made significant contributions to the study of cosmic rays and astrophysics.
Finally, in more recent times, Vasistha Narayan Singh (1942-2008) was a renowned Indian mathematician and computer scientist who made pioneering contributions to the field of combinatorics and algorithm design.
People
Vasisht + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vasisht 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
Vasisht: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vasisht?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vasisht 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Vasisht a common name?
We classify Vasisht as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vasisht most popular?
The single biggest year for Vasisht was 2015, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vasisht is about 11 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 Vasisht in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vasisht a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vasisht 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 Vasisht still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vasisht 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 Vasisht 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 are named Vasisht?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.