Sahasra
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "one thousand" or "infinite".
Name Census estimates that about 1,625 living Americans carry the first name Sahasra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sahasra today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sahasra births was 2010 (136 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sahasra. 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 Sahasra with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Sahasra is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 210,926 Americans
Peak year
2010
136 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,153
Tracked since 2005
Census
Sahasra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,314 people with the first name Sahasra, which placed it at #10,230 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
#10,230
National first-name rank
People counted
1.3K
1,314 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
96.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sahasra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sahasra is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Sahasra 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 Sahasra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.0% · 1,262
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 25
- Two or more races1.0% · 13
- White0.8% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
Popularity
Sahasra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sahasra from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 945 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sahasra remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sahasra 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 Sahasra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sahasras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Sahasra, while New York, Minnesota, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 54 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sahasra
The name Sahasra has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the linguistic vehicle for many of the world's oldest scriptures and literary works. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "sahasra," which means "one thousand" or "infinite." This connection suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals with the hope that they would possess a multitude of virtues or embody a boundless spirit.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sahasra can be found in the Rigveda, a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns that dates back to the second millennium BCE. In this ancient text, the name is mentioned in connection with various deities and celestial beings, possibly signifying its association with concepts of divinity and celestial grandeur.
Throughout the centuries, the name Sahasra has been borne by several notable figures from the Indian subcontinent. One such individual was Sahasra Buddhi, a legendary Sanskrit grammarian and philosopher who lived in the 7th century CE. His contributions to the field of linguistics and his insights into the intricacies of the Sanskrit language have left an indelible mark on Indian intellectual history.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Sahasra Lingam, a revered spiritual leader and mystic who lived in the 16th century. He was renowned for his profound teachings and his ability to guide seekers along the path of enlightenment. His legacy continues to inspire countless individuals to this day.
In the realm of literature, Sahasra Devi was a celebrated poet and author who graced the courts of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th century. Her poetic works, infused with profound wisdom and emotional depth, have been cherished by generations of readers and scholars alike.
Turning to more modern times, Sahasra Bushan was a distinguished Indian jurist and legal scholar who played a pivotal role in shaping the nation's legal system in the 20th century. His erudition and commitment to justice have left an indelible mark on the country's jurisprudence.
Lastly, Sahasra Samudra was a renowned Indian classical dancer who captivated audiences worldwide with her graceful movements and profound interpretations of traditional dance forms. Her performances were not merely artistic expressions but also embodiments of the rich cultural heritage of India.
These are but a few examples of the illustrious individuals who have borne the name Sahasra throughout history, each leaving an enduring legacy in their respective fields and contributing to the richness of human civilization.
People
Sahasra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sahasra as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sahasra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sahasra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,625 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sahasra 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 210,926 US residents.
Is Sahasra a common name?
We classify Sahasra as "Rare". It ranks above 92.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,638 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sahasra most popular?
The single biggest year for Sahasra was 2010, when 136 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sahasra is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sahasra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,314 people with the name Sahasra, or 0.44 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,230 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 Sahasra 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 Sahasra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sahasra appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,328 people counted with this name, 99.2% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Sahasra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sahasra is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Sahasra most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sahasra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (1,262 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 Sahasra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sahasra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sahasra in the SSA data are female. 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 Sahasra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sahasra 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 Sahasra 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 Sahasra?
You can see how many people have the name Sahasra on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.