Atharv
An ancient Sanskrit name meaning "fire" or "energy of life".
Name Census estimates that about 2,181 living Americans carry the first name Atharv. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Atharv today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Atharv births was 2022 (223 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Atharv. 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 Atharv with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Atharv is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 8 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 157,155 Americans
Peak year
2022
223 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,004
Tracked since 2000
Census
Atharv in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,225 people with the first name Atharv, which placed it at #10,729 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
#10,729
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,225 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
96.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Atharv
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Atharv is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and White (1.1%). 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 Atharv 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 Atharv at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.5% · 1,182
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 21
- White1.1% · 13
- Two or more races0.5% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 3
Popularity
Atharv: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Atharv from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 1,089 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Atharv 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 Atharv during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Atharvs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Atharv, while Missouri, Connecticut, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 78 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Atharv
The name Atharv has its origins in ancient Indian culture and is derived from the Sanskrit word "Atharvan," which refers to a group of Hindu priests who were known for their expertise in the Atharva Veda, one of the four principal Vedas of Hinduism. The Atharva Veda is a collection of hymns, spells, and incantations that were believed to have magical and healing properties.
The name Atharv is closely associated with the Atharva Veda, which is believed to have been composed between 1200 and 900 BCE. The earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the Vedic literature, which includes the Atharva Veda itself, as well as other ancient Hindu texts such as the Upanishads and the Puranas.
One of the earliest and most famous individuals to bear the name Atharv was Atharvan, a legendary Vedic sage who was believed to be the author or compiler of the Atharva Veda. He is revered as one of the greatest sages in Hindu mythology and is said to have possessed profound knowledge of the spiritual and mystical aspects of the universe.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Atharv. One such individual was Atharv Veda Bhashya (born circa 600 CE), a prominent Hindu scholar and commentator who wrote a comprehensive commentary on the Atharva Veda. His work is considered a significant contribution to the study and understanding of this ancient text.
Another famous bearer of the name was Atharv Chandra Vidyalankar (1844-1914), a renowned Indian scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit literature and grammar. He authored several influential works, including a comprehensive dictionary of the Sanskrit language.
In more recent times, Atharv Narendranath (1920-1991) was an Indian philosopher and author who wrote extensively on Hindu philosophy and spirituality. His works explored the deeper meanings and philosophical underpinnings of ancient Hindu texts, including the Atharva Veda.
Atharv Singh Rathore (1940-2008) was a distinguished Indian diplomat and ambassador who served as India's envoy to several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. He played a crucial role in strengthening diplomatic relations between India and other nations during his illustrious career.
People
Atharv + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Atharv 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
Atharv: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Atharv?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,181 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Atharv 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 157,155 US residents.
Is Atharv a common name?
We classify Atharv as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,197 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Atharv most popular?
The single biggest year for Atharv was 2022, when 223 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Atharv is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Atharv in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,225 people with the name Atharv, or 0.41 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,729 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 Atharv 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 Atharv?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Atharv appears almost entirely male. Of the 1,227 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Atharv?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Atharv is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and White (1.1%). 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 Atharv most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Atharv in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (1,182 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 Atharv in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Atharv a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Atharv 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 Atharv still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Atharv 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 Atharv 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 Americans are named Atharv?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.