Vishnu
One whose strides cover the entire universe, a Hindu deity responsible for preservation.
Name Census estimates that about 1,098 living Americans carry the first name Vishnu. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Vishnu today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vishnu births was 2007 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vishnu. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 312,162 Americans
Peak year
2007
65 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,033
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Vishnu: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vishnu from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 466 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
Vishnu 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 Vishnu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vishnus live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, New Jersey, Texas recorded the most babies named Vishnu, while Ohio, New York, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vishnu
The name Vishnu has its origins in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India. It is derived from the root word "vish," which means "to pervade" or "to enter into." The name Vishnu is associated with the supreme Hindu deity, who is believed to be the preserver of the universe.
In Hindu mythology, Vishnu is one of the three principal deities of the Trimurti, along with Brahma (the creator) and Shiva (the destroyer). He is depicted as having four arms, holding a conch shell, a chakra (a spinning disc), a mace, and a lotus flower. Vishnu is believed to have taken various avatars or incarnations throughout history to restore dharma (righteousness) and protect the world from evil forces.
The name Vishnu appears in several ancient Hindu texts, including the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Puranas. The Vishnu Purana, one of the principal Puranas, is dedicated to the stories and teachings associated with the deity Vishnu. The Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text in Hinduism, is a dialogue between Lord Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, and the warrior Arjuna.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Vishnu can be found in the Rigveda, one of the oldest and most sacred scriptures of Hinduism, which dates back to around 1500-1200 BCE. The name is also mentioned in the Mahabharata, the epic Sanskrit poem that recounts the story of the Kurukshetra War and the teachings of Lord Krishna.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Vishnu. One of the most famous is the 7th-century Hindu philosopher Vishnu Sharma, who is credited with writing the Panchatantra, a collection of fables and folk tales that convey moral principles and practical wisdom.
Another prominent figure named Vishnu was Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872-1963), an Indian musician and educator who played a significant role in reviving and popularizing Hindustani classical music in the 20th century.
Vishnu Narayanan Bhatkhande (1860-1936) was an Indian musicologist and writer who made significant contributions to the study and codification of Hindustani classical music. He is known for his work on the raga system and the development of a notation system for Indian music.
Vishnu Prabhakar (1912-2009) was an Indian freedom fighter and political activist who participated in the Indian independence movement against British rule. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.
Vishnu Deva Saran Agarwala (1905-1988) was an Indian filmmaker and playwright who is considered one of the pioneers of Assamese cinema. He directed the first Assamese film, "Joymati," in 1935 and played a crucial role in the development of the Assamese film industry.
People
Vishnu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vishnu 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
Vishnu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vishnu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,098 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vishnu 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 312,162 US residents.
Is Vishnu a common name?
We classify Vishnu as "Rare". It ranks above 90.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vishnu most popular?
The single biggest year for Vishnu was 2007, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vishnu is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vishnu a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vishnu 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.