Nalin
Meaningful Sanskrit name symbolizing a blue lotus flower.
Name Census estimates that about 226 living Americans carry the first name Nalin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 87.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Nalin today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nalin births was 2010 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nalin. 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 Nalin with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
226
~ 1 in 1,516,612 Americans
Peak year
2010
16 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,815
Tracked since 1980
Census
Nalin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 698 people with the first name Nalin, which placed it at #16,239 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
#16,239
National first-name rank
People counted
698
698 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
71.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nalin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nalin is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Nalin 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 Nalin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander71.6% · 500
- White10.7% · 75
- Two or more races8.0% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 34
- Black or African American3.3% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 10
Gender
Gender distribution for Nalin
Nalin leans heavily male at 87.8% of total registrations, but 28 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Nalin as a male name
- Ranked #11,815 in 2023
- 6 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2011 (15 births)
Nalin as a female name
- Ranked #14,048 in 2015
- 7 female births in 2015
- Peak: 2015 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nalin on both sides of the split. Of the 689 people counted with this name, 548 were male (79.5%) and 141 were female (20.5%).
Popularity
Nalin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nalin from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 94 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nalin 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 Nalin 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 Nalin
The name Nalin has its origins in the Sanskrit language, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is believed to have emerged from the Sanskrit word "nala," which means a type of reed or hollow stalk. This linguistic root points to a possible connection with nature and the natural world.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nalin can be traced back to ancient Indian texts and scriptures, such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas. These ancient epics and religious texts mention characters and figures bearing this name, suggesting its presence in the Indian subcontinent for centuries.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Nalin was a 7th-century Indian philosopher and scholar from the Mithila region of modern-day Bihar, India. Known as Nalin Pandita, he was renowned for his contributions to the field of Nyaya philosophy, which focused on logic and epistemology.
In the 12th century, a notable poet and writer named Nalin Kohala flourished in the region of modern-day Rajasthan, India. His works, which included poetry and literary criticism, were celebrated for their elegance and depth.
Moving forward in history, Nalin Chandra Sen (1846-1899) was a prominent Indian lawyer, educator, and social reformer from Bengal. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the University of Calcutta and advocated for women's education and social reform.
In the realm of sports, Nalin Seneviratne (1940-2021) was a distinguished Sri Lankan cricketer who captained the national team in the 1970s. He was known for his aggressive batting style and his leadership on the field.
Another notable figure with the name Nalin is Nalin Jayawardena (born 1942), a Sri Lankan businessman and entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the Aitken Spence Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Sri Lanka, with interests in diverse sectors including tourism, logistics, and plantations.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals who have borne the name Nalin throughout history, spanning fields such as philosophy, literature, law, sports, and business. While the name's origins can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit roots, its usage has transcended cultural boundaries and endured across centuries.
People
Nalin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nalin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nalin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nalin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 226 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nalin 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 1,516,612 US residents.
Is Nalin a common name?
We classify Nalin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 229 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nalin most popular?
The single biggest year for Nalin was 2010, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nalin is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nalin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 698 people with the name Nalin, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,239 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 Nalin 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 Nalin?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nalin on both sides of the split. Of the 689 people counted with this name, 548 were male (79.5%) and 141 were female (20.5%). 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 Nalin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nalin is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Nalin most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nalin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.6% (500 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 Nalin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nalin a male name?
Yes, 87.8% of people registered as Nalin 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 Nalin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nalin 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 Nalin 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 are named Nalin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.