Vidushi
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning learned, scholarly or knowledgeable woman.
Name Census estimates that about 43 living Americans carry the first name Vidushi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vidushi today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vidushi births was 2012 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vidushi. 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 Vidushi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
43
~ 1 in 7,971,031 Americans
Peak year
2012
8 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,710
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Vidushi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vidushi from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 29 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Vidushi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vidushi 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 Vidushi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vidushis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vidushi
The name Vidushi has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest languages in the world and the root of many modern Indian languages. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "vidushī," which means "learned" or "erudite." This suggests that the name was likely bestowed upon learned individuals or scholars in ancient India.
In ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, the name Vidushi is found as an epithet or title given to wise and knowledgeable women. One notable example is Vidushi Maitreyi, who was a renowned philosopher and scholar mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, one of the principal Upanishads of Hinduism, dating back to around the 8th century BCE.
The earliest recorded use of the name Vidushi as a personal name can be traced back to the 7th century CE. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Vidushi Bharatamuni, a celebrated Sanskrit scholar and grammarian who lived during the reign of the Pala Empire in ancient Bengal.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Vidushi. One such figure was Vidushi Rupbai Pantawane (1917-1986), a renowned Hindustani classical singer and vocalist from Maharashtra, India. She was recognized for her contributions to the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana (musical lineage) and received prestigious awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan.
Another famous Vidushi was Vidushi Kishori Amonkar (1932-2017), a celebrated Indian classical vocalist and one of the most influential figures in the Jaipur gharana. She was known for her innovative approach to Hindustani classical music and received numerous accolades, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Padma Vibhushan, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.
Vidushi Shruti Sadolikar-Katkar (born 1970) is a contemporary Indian classical vocalist and music educator. She is a prominent exponent of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and has been widely acclaimed for her performances and contributions to the field of Hindustani classical music.
Vidushi Shovana Narayan (born 1951) is a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer, known for her expertise in the Kathak dance form. She has received numerous honors, including the Padma Shri, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the Kalidas Samman.
Vidushi Aruna Sayeeram (born 1958) is an accomplished Indian classical vocalist and exponent of the Agra gharana. She is widely recognized for her mastery of the Khayal and Thumri genres and has received awards such as the Padma Shri and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
People
Vidushi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vidushi 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
Vidushi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vidushi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 43 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vidushi 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 7,971,031 US residents.
Is Vidushi a common name?
We classify Vidushi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 44 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vidushi most popular?
The single biggest year for Vidushi was 2012, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vidushi is about 17 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 Vidushi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vidushi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vidushi 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 Vidushi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vidushi 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 Vidushi 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 Vidushi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.