Aayush
Of Sanskrit origin, signifying life, longevity, and vigor.
Name Census estimates that about 1,438 living Americans carry the first name Aayush. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Aayush today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aayush births was 2015 (88 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aayush. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Aayush with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Aayush is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 238,355 Americans
Peak year
2015
88 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,047
Tracked since 1997
Census
Aayush in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,707 people with the first name Aayush, which placed it at #8,491 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,491
National first-name rank
People counted
1.7K
1,707 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aayush
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aayush is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Black (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Aayush described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Aayush at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.4% · 1,629
- White2.3% · 39
- Black or African American0.7% · 12
- Two or more races0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 7
Popularity
Aayush: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aayush from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 688 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aayush by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aayush during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aayushs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. California, New Jersey, Texas recorded the most babies named Aayush, while North Carolina, Michigan, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 53 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aayush
The name Aayush has its origins in the Sanskrit language and ancient Hindu culture of the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have emerged as a given name around the 5th century CE, during the classical period of India's history.
The name Aayush is derived from the Sanskrit word "Ayush," which translates to "life" or "lifespan." It is a compound word formed by the combination of the Sanskrit words "Ayu" (life) and "Shas" (to rule or govern). Thus, the name Aayush signifies one who governs or has control over their life or lifespan.
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and Upanishads, the concept of "Ayu" or life is deeply explored and revered. The name Aayush may have been bestowed upon individuals as a blessing for a long and fulfilling life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aayush dates back to the 7th century CE. An Indian philosopher and scholar named Aayush Sharma is mentioned in historical records from that era, known for his contributions to the study of Hindu scriptures and philosophy.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Aayush. Aayush Srivastava (1942 - 2018) was a renowned Indian classical singer and composer, recognized for his expertise in the Khayal and Thumri styles of Hindustani music. Aayush Maheshwari (born 1983) is a contemporary Indian author and screenwriter, best known for his novels "Neti Neti" and "Chanakya's Immortal."
In the realm of sports, Aayush Khurrana (born 1988) is an Indian cricketer who has played domestic cricket for the Delhi team. Aayush Saxena (born 1991) is an Indian chess Grandmaster and former Commonwealth Champion.
Furthermore, the name Aayush gained popularity in the 20th century, with several notable individuals bearing the name, such as Aayush Sharma (born 1991), an Indian actor and model who made his acting debut in the 2018 film "Loveyatri."
People
Aayush + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aayush as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aayush: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aayush?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,438 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aayush going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 238,355 US residents.
Is Aayush a common name?
We classify Aayush as "Rare". It ranks above 92.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,452 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aayush most popular?
The single biggest year for Aayush was 2015, when 88 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aayush is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Aayush in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,707 people with the name Aayush, or 0.57 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,491 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Aayush in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Aayush?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Aayush appears almost entirely male. Of the 1,711 people counted with this name, 99.7% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Aayush?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aayush is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Black (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Aayush most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Aayush in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (1,629 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Aayush in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aayush a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aayush in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Aayush still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aayush in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Aayush can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Aayush?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Aayush on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.