Karthik
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KAR-thik
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,742 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #4,856 for boys
Karthik is a boys' name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “of the Pleiades”. In 2025 it ranked 2,742nd for boys in the UK (8 babies) and 4,856th for boys in the US (20 babies).
What does Karthik mean?
Sanskrit: from Karttika, the Pleiades and a Hindu month
“of the Pleiades”
Kartik is a month of the Hindu calendar and a name of Kartikeya, the war god and son of Shiva.
Is Karthik a girl's or a boy's name?
Karthik is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 8 boys in the UK and 20 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Karthik in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,742nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 8 about 1 in 37,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 29% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 8 boys in the UK were named Karthik, making it the 2,742nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,025th. Its busiest year was 2013, with 11 boys.
2025 had more boys named Karthik than any year since 2017.
Half of all the boys named Karthik in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,658th in England and Wales.
Karthik in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | #2,742 |
| 2024 | 4 | #4,346 |
| 2023 | 6 | #3,279 |
| 2022 | 1 | #6,413 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 4 | #4,025 |
| 2019 | 5 | #3,597 |
| 2018 | 5 | #3,596 |
| 2017 | 8 | #2,656 |
| 2016 | 7 | #2,947 |
| 2015 | 6 | #3,149 |
| 2014 | 5 | #3,529 |
| 2013 | 11 | #2,033 |
| 2012 | 6 | #3,167 |
| 2011 | 4 | #3,986 |
| 2010 | 5 | #3,478 |
| 2009 | 3 | #4,691 |
| 2008 | 5 | #3,305 |
| 2007 | 6 | #2,873 |
| 2006 | 4 | #3,522 |
| 2005 | 5 | #2,885 |
| 2004 | 3 | #3,792 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
How popular is Karthik in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 4,856th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 20 about 1 in 85,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 44% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 20 boys in the US were named Karthik, making it the 4,856th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,416th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 79 boys. It first appears in the records in 1977.
Half of all the boys named Karthik in the US since 1880 were born between 2001 and 2014, the years shaded on the chart below.
Karthik in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | #4,856 |
| 2024 | 18 | #5,237 |
| 2023 | 21 | #4,738 |
| 2022 | 26 | #4,086 |
| 2021 | 20 | #4,776 |
| 2020 | 32 | #3,416 |
| 2019 | 36 | #3,198 |
| 2018 | 37 | #3,104 |
| 2017 | 41 | #2,890 |
| 2016 | 57 | #2,305 |
| 2015 | 56 | #2,327 |
| 2014 | 63 | #2,152 |
| 2013 | 64 | #2,089 |
| 2012 | 69 | #2,015 |
| 2011 | 59 | #2,202 |
| 2010 | 79 | #1,833 |
| 2009 | 56 | #2,319 |
| 2008 | 57 | #2,290 |
| 2007 | 62 | #2,164 |
| 2006 | 57 | #2,220 |
| 2005 | 44 | #2,524 |
| 2004 | 41 | #2,595 |
| 2003 | 45 | #2,345 |
| 2002 | 52 | #2,064 |
| 2001 | 45 | #2,245 |
| 2000 | 41 | #2,326 |
| 1999 | 38 | #2,344 |
| 1998 | 38 | #2,309 |
| 1997 | 30 | #2,609 |
| 1996 | 23 | #3,102 |
| 1995 | 17 | #3,687 |
| 1994 | 24 | #2,946 |
| 1993 | 16 | #3,812 |
| 1992 | 14 | #4,106 |
| 1991 | 12 | #4,468 |
| 1990 | 9 | #5,375 |
| 1989 | 10 | #4,805 |
| 1988 | 12 | #3,910 |
| 1987 | 11 | #3,954 |
| 1986 | 7 | #5,327 |
| 1985 | 8 | #4,693 |
| 1984 | 9 | #4,212 |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 6 | #5,617 |
| 1981 | 8 | #4,507 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 5 | #5,843 |
Names like Karthik
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Aarav, Yuvraj, Shivansh, Advik, Vihaan, Krishiv, Krish, Dhruv, Veer, Viraj, Adhvik, Pranav
Names related to Karthik
More Sanskrit names
Maya, Bodhi, Arya, Lila, Arjun, Rohan, Kali, Aryan, Opal, Arjan, Aadhya, Avyaan, Ishaan, Siya, Leena, Veda
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, “Karthik: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/karthik, updated 20 October 2026.