Shiva
- Gender
- Boy
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,329 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #4,248 for boys
Shiva is a boys' name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “the auspicious one”. In 2025 it ranked 3,329th for boys in the UK (6 babies) and 4,248th for boys in the US (24 babies).
What does Shiva mean?
Sanskrit
“the auspicious one”
A male given name from Sanskrit used in India.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Shiva a girl's or a boy's name?
Shiva is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 6 boys in the UK and 24 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Shiva in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,329among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 6about 1 in 50,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 122% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 6 boys in the UK were named Shiva, making it the 3,329th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,803rd. Its busiest year was 2024, with 8 boys.
Half of all the boys named Shiva in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2023. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 3,239th in England and Wales.
Shiva in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | #3,329 |
| 2024 | 8 | #2,750 |
| 2023 | 6 | #3,279 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 3 | #4,989 |
| 2020 | 3 | #4,803 |
| 2019 | 6 | #3,184 |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 5 | #3,608 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 4 | #4,086 |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,063 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 6 | #3,038 |
| 2010 | 1 | #6,148 |
| 2009 | 4 | #3,909 |
| 2008 | 4 | #3,836 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 3 | #4,204 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 5 | #2,326 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 4 | #2,438 |
| 1996 | 3 | #2,949 |
How popular is Shiva in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,248among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 24about 1 in 71,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 42% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 24 boys in the US were named Shiva, making it the 4,248th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,616th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 24 boys. It first appears in the records in 1980.
Half of all the boys named Shiva in the US since 1880 were born between 1999 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
Shiva in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 24 | #4,248 |
| 2024 | 17 | #5,439 |
| 2023 | 23 | #4,452 |
| 2022 | 12 | #6,822 |
| 2021 | 24 | #4,243 |
| 2020 | 12 | #6,616 |
| 2019 | 13 | #6,401 |
| 2018 | 20 | #4,735 |
| 2017 | 13 | #6,334 |
| 2016 | 13 | #6,344 |
| 2015 | 7 | #9,562 |
| 2014 | 15 | #5,729 |
| 2013 | 15 | #5,655 |
| 2012 | 16 | #5,476 |
| 2011 | 8 | #8,760 |
| 2010 | 13 | #6,353 |
| 2009 | 11 | #7,231 |
| 2008 | 10 | #7,693 |
| 2007 | 17 | #5,207 |
| 2006 | 15 | #5,521 |
| 2005 | 19 | #4,459 |
| 2004 | 11 | #6,514 |
| 2003 | 17 | #4,611 |
| 2002 | 22 | #3,789 |
| 2001 | 20 | #3,968 |
| 2000 | 16 | #4,567 |
| 1999 | 13 | #5,029 |
| 1998 | 13 | #4,868 |
| 1997 | 18 | #3,733 |
| 1996 | 12 | #4,871 |
| 1995 | 12 | #4,785 |
| 1994 | 9 | #5,862 |
| 1993 | 8 | #6,221 |
| 1992 | 7 | #6,662 |
| 1991 | 12 | #4,468 |
| 1990 | 9 | #5,375 |
| 1989 | 8 | #5,608 |
| 1988 | 6 | #6,420 |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 7 | #4,904 |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 6 | #5,523 |
Names like Shiva
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Aarav Shivansh Yuvraj Vihaan Avyaan Viraj Dhruv Siddharth Veer Prithvi Bhavya Ravi
Names related to Shiva
More Sanskrit names
Maya Bodhi Arya Lila Arjun Rohan Kali Aryan Opal Arjan Aadhya Ishaan Siya Leena Veda India
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, “Shiva: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/shiva, updated 20 October 2026.