Vidhu
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "brilliant" or "luminous".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Vidhu. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vidhu today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vidhu births was 2013 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vidhu. 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 Vidhu. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2013
5 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2013 SSA rank
#13,942
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Vidhu: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Vidhu 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 Vidhu 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Vidhu
The name Vidhu has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages and the root of many modern Indian languages. The name Vidhu is derived from the Sanskrit word "vidhu," which means "moon." This connection to the moon suggests that the name may have been associated with celestial or divine qualities in ancient Hindu culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vidhu can be found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, where it is mentioned as the name of a warrior in the Kuru clan. This epic is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE, indicating that the name has been in use for over two millennia.
In ancient Hindu mythology, the god Chandra, also known as Soma, was the personification of the moon. It is possible that the name Vidhu may have been inspired by this deity or used as a reference to the moon's celestial presence.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Vidhu. One of the earliest recorded was Vidhu Shekhar Bhattacharya, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 15th century CE. His works, including the poetic composition "Vidhu Purana," were widely celebrated during his time.
Another significant figure was Vidhu Vinod Chopra, an acclaimed Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter born in 1952. He is best known for directing critically acclaimed films such as "Parinda" (1989), "1942: A Love Story" (1994), and "Mission Kashmir" (2000).
In the field of music, Vidhu Prathap Singh was a prominent Indian classical vocalist and composer of the 20th century. Born in 1909, he was a major exponent of the Khayal and Thumri styles of Hindustani classical music.
Vidhu Aklujkar, born in 1943, is a renowned Indologist and scholar of Sanskrit literature. She has authored several books and articles on ancient Indian texts and has made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit literature.
Finally, Vidhu Punja was a renowned Indian journalist and author who lived from 1926 to 2006. He was a respected figure in the Indian media industry and wrote extensively on topics related to politics, history, and culture.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Vidhu, highlighting its longstanding presence and significance in various cultural and literary contexts.
People
Vidhu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vidhu 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
Vidhu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vidhu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vidhu 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 Vidhu a common name?
We classify Vidhu 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 Vidhu most popular?
The single biggest year for Vidhu was 2013, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vidhu is about 13 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 Vidhu in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vidhu a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vidhu 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 Vidhu still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vidhu 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 Vidhu 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 have the name Vidhu?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.