Vignesh
A name of Indian origin meaning the Victorious Lord Vishnu.
Name Census estimates that about 253 living Americans carry the first name Vignesh. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vignesh today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vignesh births was 1998 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vignesh. 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
253
~ 1 in 1,354,760 Americans
Peak year
1998
18 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2020 SSA rank
#13,921
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Vignesh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vignesh from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 135 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
Vignesh 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 Vignesh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vigneshs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vignesh
The name Vignesh is a Hindi name that finds its roots in the Hindu religion and culture. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Vighneshvara," which translates to "Lord of Obstacles" and refers to the elephant-headed Hindu deity, Lord Ganesha.
Vignesh is a variant of the name "Ganesh," which is one of the most popular Hindu names. The name gained widespread popularity in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in regions where Hinduism has a strong presence, such as northern and southern India.
The earliest recorded references to the name Vignesh can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, particularly the Puranas, which contain numerous stories and legends about Lord Ganesha. In these texts, Ganesha is revered as the remover of obstacles and the patron of arts, sciences, and wisdom.
One of the most famous historical figures bearing the name Vignesh was Vignesh Sharma (1200-1300 CE), a renowned Hindu philosopher and scholar who authored several influential works on Hindu philosophy, including the "Vighneshvara Samhita."
Another notable individual was Vignesh Mishra (1550-1630 CE), a prominent Indian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of trigonometry and calculus.
In the realm of literature, Vignesh Iyer (1670-1745 CE) was a celebrated Tamil poet and playwright whose works were widely acclaimed for their literary merit and social commentary.
Moving forward in time, Vignesh Anand (1969-present) is a highly respected Indian chess grandmaster and former world champion who has won numerous prestigious tournaments throughout his career.
Vignesh Sundaresan (1982-present) is a renowned Indian-American entrepreneur and venture capitalist, known for co-founding the successful technology companies Menlo Ventures and Quibi.
While the name Vignesh has its roots in Hinduism, it has transcended religious boundaries and is now widely used by people of various cultural backgrounds, particularly in India and other parts of South Asia.
People
Vignesh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vignesh 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
Vignesh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vignesh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 253 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vignesh 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 1,354,760 US residents.
Is Vignesh a common name?
We classify Vignesh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 257 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vignesh most popular?
The single biggest year for Vignesh was 1998, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vignesh is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vignesh a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vignesh 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.
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.