Himanshu
Masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "the sun".
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Himanshu. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Himanshu today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Himanshu births was 2003 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Himanshu. 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 Himanshu with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Himanshu. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
2003
8 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2005 SSA rank
#12,094
Tracked since 1999
Census
Himanshu in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,907 people with the first name Himanshu, which placed it at #7,816 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
#7,816
National first-name rank
People counted
1.9K
1,907 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
97.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Himanshu
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Himanshu is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Himanshu 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 Himanshu at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander97.4% · 1,857
- White1.7% · 33
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- Two or more races0.4% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Himanshu: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Himanshu from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 20 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
Himanshu 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 Himanshu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Himanshu
The name Himanshu is of Sanskrit origin, tracing its roots to the ancient Indian language and culture. It is a compound word formed by combining the Sanskrit terms "him," meaning cold or snow, and "anshu," meaning ray or beam. Thus, the name Himanshu can be interpreted to mean "a ray of cold" or "a beam of snow."
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, the name Himanshu is often associated with the majestic Himalayas, the towering mountain range revered for its snow-capped peaks and glaciers. It is believed that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals born in the Himalayan region or those who possessed a calm and serene demeanor, akin to the tranquility of the mountains.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Himanshu dates back to the 6th century CE, when it appeared in the Puranas, a collection of ancient Hindu scriptures. These texts mention Himanshu as the name of a sage or rishi, renowned for his wisdom and spiritual attainments.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Himanshu. One such figure was Himanshu Ranjan Chakravarti (1870-1944), an Indian philosopher and Sanskrit scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Vedanta, a branch of Hindu philosophy.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Himanshu Rai (1892-1940), an Indian film director, producer, and actor who is widely regarded as the pioneer of Indian cinema. His film "Alam Ara" (1931) was the first Indian talkie, marking a pivotal moment in the history of Indian cinema.
In the realm of literature, Himanshu Joshi (1925-2006) was a renowned Gujarati poet, playwright, and critic. His works explored themes of social justice, human relationships, and the complexities of modern life, earning him numerous accolades and literary awards.
The world of sports has also witnessed the achievements of individuals named Himanshu. Himanshu Rana (born 1989) is an Indian cricketer who has represented India in various international tournaments, including the Under-19 World Cup.
Lastly, Himanshu Suri (born 1970) is a notable Indian musician and composer who has contributed to several Bollywood films and albums. His compositions have garnered critical acclaim and have been recognized with various awards and honors.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the name Himanshu throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human endeavor.
People
Himanshu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Himanshu as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Himanshu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Himanshu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Himanshu 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 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Himanshu a common name?
We classify Himanshu as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Himanshu most popular?
The single biggest year for Himanshu was 2003, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Himanshu is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Himanshu in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,907 people with the name Himanshu, or 0.63 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,816 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 Himanshu 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 Himanshu?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Himanshu leans strongly male. 1,887 people counted with this name were male (98.8%), compared with 22 female bearers (1.2%). 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 Himanshu?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Himanshu is Asian/Pacific Islander at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Himanshu most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Himanshu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (1,857 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 Himanshu in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Himanshu a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Himanshu 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 Himanshu still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Himanshu 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 Himanshu 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 share the name Himanshu?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Himanshu, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.