Ishan
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ee-SHAHN
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,964 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,867 for boys
Ishan is a boys' name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “ruler; the north-east”. In 2025 it ranked 1,964th for boys in the UK (13 babies) and 1,867th for boys in the US (84 babies).
What does Ishan mean?
Sanskrit: spelling of Ishaan
“ruler; the north-east”
Ishana is a name of Shiva and the guardian of the north-east in Hindu tradition.
Is Ishan a girl's or a boy's name?
Ishan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 13 boys in the UK and 84 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ishan in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,964among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 13about 1 in 23,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 24% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 13 boys in the UK were named Ishan, making it the 1,964th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,657th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 38 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Ishan than any year since 1999.
Half of all the boys named Ishan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 92 boys in the UK were given Ishan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #463, up from #1,964 for this spelling alone.
- Ishaan 79
- Ishan 13
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,894th in England and Wales.
Ishan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | #1,964 |
| 2024 | 15 | #1,745 |
| 2023 | 14 | #1,812 |
| 2022 | 17 | #1,561 |
| 2021 | 17 | #1,547 |
| 2020 | 15 | #1,657 |
| 2019 | 18 | #1,479 |
| 2018 | 22 | #1,280 |
| 2017 | 18 | #1,490 |
| 2016 | 23 | #1,268 |
| 2015 | 25 | #1,167 |
| 2014 | 37 | #891 |
| 2013 | 19 | #1,398 |
| 2012 | 24 | #1,199 |
| 2011 | 28 | #1,056 |
| 2010 | 38 | #848 |
| 2009 | 28 | #1,032 |
| 2008 | 34 | #885 |
| 2007 | 22 | #1,172 |
| 2006 | 17 | #1,302 |
| 2005 | 34 | #796 |
| 2004 | 21 | #1,040 |
| 2003 | 18 | #1,081 |
| 2002 | 17 | #1,067 |
| 2001 | 16 | #1,054 |
| 2000 | 14 | #1,113 |
| 1999 | 9 | #1,451 |
| 1998 | 3 | #3,021 |
| 1997 | 5 | #2,109 |
| 1996 | 8 | #1,506 |
How popular is Ishan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,867among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 84about 1 in 20,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 14% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 84 boys in the US were named Ishan, making it the 1,867th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,895th. Its busiest year was 2009, with 148 boys. It first appears in the records in 1982.
Half of all the boys named Ishan in the US since 1880 were born between 2005 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 350 boys in the US were given Ishan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #701, up from #1,867 for this spelling alone.
- Ishaan 266
- Ishan 84
Ishan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 84 | #1,867 |
| 2024 | 70 | #2,120 |
| 2023 | 73 | #2,046 |
| 2022 | 81 | #1,916 |
| 2021 | 90 | #1,770 |
| 2020 | 78 | #1,895 |
| 2019 | 83 | #1,823 |
| 2018 | 102 | #1,606 |
| 2017 | 89 | #1,735 |
| 2016 | 114 | #1,491 |
| 2015 | 114 | #1,468 |
| 2014 | 107 | #1,506 |
| 2013 | 92 | #1,646 |
| 2012 | 93 | #1,656 |
| 2011 | 126 | #1,344 |
| 2010 | 128 | #1,331 |
| 2009 | 148 | #1,214 |
| 2008 | 121 | #1,399 |
| 2007 | 90 | #1,681 |
| 2006 | 94 | #1,562 |
| 2005 | 103 | #1,430 |
| 2004 | 103 | #1,382 |
| 2003 | 78 | #1,608 |
| 2002 | 82 | #1,511 |
| 2001 | 88 | #1,411 |
| 2000 | 71 | #1,637 |
| 1999 | 45 | #2,095 |
| 1998 | 34 | #2,504 |
| 1997 | 30 | #2,609 |
| 1996 | 22 | #3,197 |
| 1995 | 18 | #3,553 |
| 1994 | 18 | #3,590 |
| 1993 | 8 | #6,221 |
| 1992 | 21 | #3,099 |
| 1991 | 9 | #5,513 |
| 1990 | 7 | #6,408 |
| 1989 | 6 | #6,934 |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 6 | #6,083 |
| 1986 | 5 | #6,715 |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 6 | #5,617 |
Names like Ishan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Aarav Vihaan Arjan Yuvraj Avyaan Shivansh Dhruv Veer Yuvan Viraj Arjun Jeevan
Other spellings of Ishan
Names related to Ishan
More Sanskrit names
Maya Bodhi Arya Lila Rohan Kali Aryan Opal Aadhya Siya Leena Veda India Avani Rudra Agastya
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ishan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ishan, updated 20 October 2026.