Kanishk
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ka-NISHK
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,065 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #12,003 for boys
Kanishk is a boys' name. In 2025 it ranked 5,065th for boys in the UK (3 babies) and 12,003rd for boys in the US (5 babies).
What does Kanishk mean?
From Kanishka, the Kushan emperor; Central Asian origin
Kanishka the Great ruled the Kushan Empire in the 2nd century and was a celebrated patron of Buddhism.
Is Kanishk a girl's or a boy's name?
Kanishk is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 boys in the UK and 5 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kanishk in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,065among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 3about 1 in 100,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 3 boys in the UK were named Kanishk, making it the 5,065th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,803rd. Its busiest year was 2013, with 6 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kanishk in the UK since 1996 were born between 2012 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 4,974th in England and Wales.
Kanishk in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,065 |
| 2024 | 3 | #5,198 |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 6 | #3,219 |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,188 |
| 2020 | 3 | #4,803 |
| 2019 | 3 | #4,913 |
| 2018 | 1 | #6,277 |
| 2017 | 5 | #3,608 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,063 |
| 2013 | 6 | #3,096 |
| 2012 | 5 | #3,572 |
| 2011 | 5 | #3,446 |
| 2010 | 3 | #4,865 |
| 2009 | 3 | #4,691 |
How popular is Kanishk in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #12,003among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 5about 1 in 340,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 5 boys in the US were named Kanishk, making it the 12,003rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 8,062nd. Its busiest year was 2010, with 16 boys. It first appears in the records in 2002.
Half of all the boys named Kanishk in the US since 1880 were born between 2009 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kanishk in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #12,003 |
| 2024 | 5 | #12,341 |
| 2023 | 6 | #10,815 |
| 2022 | 6 | #10,855 |
| 2021 | 8 | #8,820 |
| 2020 | 9 | #8,062 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 14 | #6,032 |
| 2017 | 8 | #8,835 |
| 2016 | 11 | #7,152 |
| 2015 | 5 | #12,080 |
| 2014 | 13 | #6,303 |
| 2013 | 14 | #5,919 |
| 2012 | 6 | #10,763 |
| 2011 | 6 | #10,801 |
| 2010 | 16 | #5,475 |
| 2009 | 9 | #8,305 |
| 2008 | 9 | #8,319 |
| 2007 | 7 | #9,782 |
| 2006 | 11 | #6,899 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 6 | #9,941 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 7 | #8,449 |
Names like Kanishk
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Aarav Krishiv Shivansh Advik Vihaan Yuvraj Avyaan Gurbaaz Avi Veer Ivaan Aviraj
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, “Kanishk: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kanishk, updated 20 October 2026.