Hriday
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "heart" or "core".
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the first name Hriday. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hriday today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hriday births was 2024 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hriday. 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 Hriday with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
123
~ 1 in 2,786,621 Americans
Peak year
2024
15 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,986
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Hriday: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hriday 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 48 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
Hriday 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 Hriday 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 Hriday
The name Hriday originates from the Sanskrit language, one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages that originated in ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "hridaya," which means heart or mind. The name has been in use since ancient times in the Indian subcontinent, particularly among Hindus.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hriday can be found in the ancient Hindu texts, the Vedas, which date back to around 1500 BCE. In these sacred texts, the term "hridaya" is used to refer to the seat of emotions, consciousness, and spiritual wisdom. This connection to the heart and mind likely contributed to the popularity of the name among those seeking to imbue their children with qualities of compassion, intelligence, and inner strength.
In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, which is believed to have been composed between 400 BCE and 400 CE, there is a character named Hriday, who is described as a wise and virtuous individual. This ancient literary reference further solidifies the name's deep roots in Indian culture and tradition.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hriday. One of the earliest recorded examples is Hriday Charan Ghosh (1832-1913), a prominent Bengali writer, philosopher, and social reformer who advocated for women's education and the abolition of the caste system.
Another famous Hriday was Hriday Nath Kunzru (1887-1978), an Indian lawyer, politician, and social activist who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and served as the president of the Indian National Congress in 1938.
In the realm of poetry, Hriday Narayan Dixit (1924-2010) was a renowned Hindi poet and author who received numerous accolades, including the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors.
Hriday Nath Singh (1895-1985) was a distinguished Indian mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of algebraic geometry and served as the vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University.
In more recent times, Hriday Shetty (born 1970) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his work in Kannada cinema, including the critically acclaimed film "Charulata" (2012).
These examples demonstrate the rich history and cultural significance of the name Hriday, which has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including writers, poets, politicians, mathematicians, and filmmakers, across several centuries in the Indian subcontinent.
People
Hriday + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hriday 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
Hriday: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hriday?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 123 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hriday 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 2,786,621 US residents.
Is Hriday a common name?
We classify Hriday as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 124 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hriday most popular?
The single biggest year for Hriday was 2024, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hriday is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Hriday in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hriday a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hriday 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 Hriday still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hriday 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 Hriday 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Hriday?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Hriday on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.