How Many People Are Named Shiva?
An estimated 784 people in the United States have the first name Shiva. It is used for both genders, with 64.6% male. The average bearer is 23 years old, and Shiva peaked in popularity in 2021 with 30 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Shiva as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Shiva paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Shiva has shifted from predominantly female to increasingly male in recent decades.
Estimated Living Americans
784
About 1 in 437,187 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
64.6% confidence
Average Age
23
years old
Peak Year
2021
30 births
Total Registered
802
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Shiva
Shiva is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (64.6%) and females (35.4%). Out of 802 total births registered, 518 were male and 284 were female.
Shiva as a male name
Ranked #5,604 in 2024
17 male births in 2024
Peak: 2021 (24 births)
Shiva as a female name
Ranked #13,230 in 2024
7 female births in 2024
Peak: 1993 (13 births)
Shiva: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Shiva span from the 1960s to the 2020s, covering 7 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 211 babies were registered. While Shiva is less common than at its peak in the 2000s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Shiva by Decade
How has Shiva tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Shiva by State
Birth registrations for Shiva span all 3 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Texas, New York, California. On average, about 30 Shivas were registered per state.
Shiva + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Shiva as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Shiva
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Shiva: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shiva?
We estimate approximately 784 people named Shiva are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 437,187 Americans share this first name.
Is Shiva a common name?
Shiva is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 88.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 802 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Shiva most popular?
Shiva reached peak popularity in 2021, when 30 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Shiva is approximately 23 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Shiva a male name?
Shiva is predominantly male. 64.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Shiva Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Shiva Smith, Shiva Johnson, Shiva Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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