Vishal
An Indian masculine given name meaning "vast" or "gigantic".
Name Census estimates that about 1,681 living Americans carry the first name Vishal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vishal today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vishal births was 2003 (72 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vishal. 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
1.7K
~ 1 in 203,899 Americans
Peak year
2003
72 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,089
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Vishal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vishal from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 540 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vishal 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 Vishal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vishals live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, New York, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Vishal, while Virginia, Michigan, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 85 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vishal
The given name Vishal originates from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the root of many modern Indo-Iranian languages. It emerged in the Indian subcontinent during the 2nd millennium BCE. Vishal is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vishal,' which means vast, expansive, or immense.
The name Vishal finds its roots in ancient Hindu texts, including the Vedas and Puranas, where it is often used to describe the vastness of the universe or the greatness of divine beings. It is also associated with the concepts of grandeur, magnificence, and vastness.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vishal can be found in the epic Hindu scripture, the Mahabharata, where it is mentioned as the name of a character. Vishal was also the name of a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 7th century CE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Vishal. One of the most famous was Vishal Shekhar, an Indian music composer and singer who was born in 1977. He is renowned for his work in Bollywood films and has won numerous awards for his contributions to the Indian music industry.
Another notable figure was Vishal Bhardwaj, an Indian film director, screenwriter, and music composer born in 1965. He is known for his critically acclaimed films that often explore complex themes and socio-political issues.
In the field of sports, Vishal Singh, an Indian cricketer born in 1987, has represented India in various international tournaments. He is known for his impressive batting skills and has been a part of several successful Indian cricket teams.
Vishal Sikka, an Indian-American computer scientist and entrepreneur born in 1967, served as the CEO of Infosys, a major Indian IT company, from 2014 to 2017. He is recognized for his contributions to the field of artificial intelligence and his efforts in transforming Infosys into a global leader in technology services.
Lastly, Vishal Mangalmukhi, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer born in 1970, has made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Indian classical dance forms. He is renowned for his innovative choreography and has received numerous awards and accolades for his artistic achievements.
People
Vishal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vishal 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
Vishal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vishal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,681 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vishal 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 203,899 US residents.
Is Vishal a common name?
We classify Vishal as "Rare". It ranks above 93% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,729 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vishal most popular?
The single biggest year for Vishal was 2003, when 72 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vishal is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vishal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vishal 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.