Rishi
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- RISH-ee
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,133 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,056 for boys
Rishi is a boys' name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “sage, seer”. In 2025 it ranked 1,133rd for boys in the UK (28 babies) and 1,056th for boys in the US (207 babies).
What does Rishi mean?
Sanskrit
“sage, seer”
In Hinduism a rishi is a sage or seer, especially one of the inspired poets credited with the Vedic hymns.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Rishi a girl's or a boy's name?
Rishi is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 28 boys in the UK and 207 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Rishi in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,133rd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 28 about 1 in 11,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 23% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 28 boys in the UK were named Rishi, making it the 1,133rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 770th. Its busiest year was 2008, with 69 boys.
Half of all the boys named Rishi in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,066th in England and Wales.
Rishi in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 28 | #1,133 |
| 2024 | 18 | #1,528 |
| 2023 | 39 | #892 |
| 2022 | 37 | #923 |
| 2021 | 41 | #858 |
| 2020 | 46 | #770 |
| 2019 | 27 | #1,103 |
| 2018 | 38 | #892 |
| 2017 | 36 | #936 |
| 2016 | 36 | #939 |
| 2015 | 58 | #667 |
| 2014 | 55 | #673 |
| 2013 | 57 | #657 |
| 2012 | 43 | #815 |
| 2011 | 52 | #695 |
| 2010 | 62 | #608 |
| 2009 | 65 | #572 |
| 2008 | 69 | #547 |
| 2007 | 66 | #538 |
| 2006 | 52 | #614 |
| 2005 | 54 | #552 |
| 2004 | 65 | #466 |
| 2003 | 37 | #660 |
| 2002 | 46 | #522 |
| 2001 | 21 | #871 |
| 2000 | 32 | #636 |
| 1999 | 49 | #486 |
| 1998 | 37 | #557 |
| 1997 | 38 | #535 |
| 1996 | 34 | #548 |
How popular is Rishi in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,056th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 207 about 1 in 8,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 57% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 207 boys in the US were named Rishi, making it the 1,056th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,209th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 229 boys. It first appears in the records in 1974.
Half of all the boys named Rishi in the US since 1880 were born between 2002 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Rishi in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 207 | #1,056 |
| 2024 | 193 | #1,108 |
| 2023 | 229 | #969 |
| 2022 | 210 | #1,049 |
| 2021 | 161 | #1,200 |
| 2020 | 156 | #1,209 |
| 2019 | 129 | #1,380 |
| 2018 | 115 | #1,498 |
| 2017 | 121 | #1,429 |
| 2016 | 134 | #1,329 |
| 2015 | 134 | #1,317 |
| 2014 | 114 | #1,442 |
| 2013 | 142 | #1,243 |
| 2012 | 129 | #1,322 |
| 2011 | 135 | #1,271 |
| 2010 | 169 | #1,116 |
| 2009 | 173 | #1,074 |
| 2008 | 217 | #936 |
| 2007 | 205 | #959 |
| 2006 | 171 | #1,049 |
| 2005 | 184 | #949 |
| 2004 | 171 | #976 |
| 2003 | 128 | #1,166 |
| 2002 | 150 | #1,021 |
| 2001 | 94 | #1,353 |
| 2000 | 85 | #1,444 |
| 1999 | 72 | #1,542 |
| 1998 | 70 | #1,533 |
| 1997 | 40 | #2,161 |
| 1996 | 52 | #1,760 |
| 1995 | 55 | #1,643 |
| 1994 | 57 | #1,603 |
| 1993 | 47 | #1,787 |
| 1992 | 50 | #1,692 |
| 1991 | 38 | #1,977 |
| 1990 | 42 | #1,835 |
| 1989 | 49 | #1,610 |
| 1988 | 48 | #1,520 |
| 1987 | 36 | #1,791 |
| 1986 | 37 | #1,693 |
| 1985 | 46 | #1,451 |
| 1984 | 30 | #1,841 |
| 1983 | 47 | #1,360 |
| 1982 | 40 | #1,538 |
| 1981 | 52 | #1,270 |
| 1980 | 47 | #1,378 |
| 1979 | 28 | #1,903 |
| 1978 | 41 | #1,452 |
| 1977 | 21 | #2,202 |
| 1976 | 12 | #3,093 |
| 1975 | 14 | #2,749 |
| 1974 | 15 | #2,547 |
Names like Rishi
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Ravi, Aarav, Avi, Prithvi, Yuvraj, Dhruv, Viraj, Vihaan, Shivansh, Pranav, Kavi, Rajveer
Names related to Rishi
More Sanskrit names
Maya, Bodhi, Arya, Lila, Arjun, Rohan, Kali, Aryan, Opal, Arjan, Aadhya, Avyaan, Ishaan, Siya, Leena, Veer
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, “Rishi: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/rishi, updated 20 October 2026.