Sakshi
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "witness" or "one who sees."
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the first name Sakshi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sakshi today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sakshi births was 2002 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sakshi. 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 Sakshi with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
237
~ 1 in 1,446,221 Americans
Peak year
2002
26 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,189
Tracked since 1999
Census
Sakshi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,068 people with the first name Sakshi, which placed it at #11,830 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
#11,830
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,068 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
94.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sakshi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sakshi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Sakshi 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 Sakshi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.9% · 1,013
- White3.0% · 32
- Two or more races0.9% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 5
- Black or African American0.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
Popularity
Sakshi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sakshi from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 127 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
Sakshi 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 Sakshi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sakshis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sakshi
The name Sakshi originates from the Sanskrit language, tracing its roots back to ancient India. The word "Sakshi" is derived from the Sanskrit word "sākṣi," meaning "witness" or "testimony." This name has held significant cultural and spiritual importance in the Indian subcontinent for centuries.
In Hindu mythology, the concept of a "sakshi" refers to the witness consciousness or the divine witness within each individual. This spiritual connotation has contributed to the popularity of the name among Hindu communities. The name can be found mentioned in various ancient Hindu texts, including the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, which are revered scriptures in Hinduism.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sakshi dates back to the 7th century CE. During this period, a renowned Indian poet and playwright named Sakshi Kalidasa lived and wrote several influential works, including the famous play "Abhijñānaśākuntalam."
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Sakshi. One such individual was Sakshi Maharaj (1892-1971), a prominent Indian spiritual leader and the founder of the Niranjani Akhara, a notable Hindu monastic order.
Another remarkable figure was Sakshi Tanwar (born in 1973), an acclaimed Indian actress who has won numerous awards for her performances in television shows and films. Her portrayal of complex characters has earned her critical acclaim and a dedicated fan following.
In the field of sports, Sakshi Malik (born in 1992) has made a significant impact. She is an Indian freestyle wrestler who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming the first Indian female wrestler to achieve this feat.
Sakshi Dhoni (born in 1988) is another well-known individual, primarily due to her marriage to the legendary Indian cricketer, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. She has been actively involved in various charitable initiatives and has used her platform to support social causes.
Sakshi Choudhary (born in 1990) is a prominent Indian journalist and news anchor, known for her incisive reporting and insightful commentary on current affairs. She has received recognition for her work in the field of journalism.
While the name Sakshi has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu traditions, it has transcended cultural boundaries and gained popularity across various regions and communities in modern times, reflecting its enduring appeal and timeless significance.
People
Sakshi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sakshi 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
Sakshi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sakshi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 237 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sakshi 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 1,446,221 US residents.
Is Sakshi a common name?
We classify Sakshi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 240 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sakshi most popular?
The single biggest year for Sakshi was 2002, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sakshi is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sakshi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,068 people with the name Sakshi, or 0.35 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,830 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 Sakshi 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 Sakshi?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sakshi appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,073 people counted with this name, 99.3% 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 Sakshi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sakshi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.0%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Sakshi most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Sakshi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (1,013 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 Sakshi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sakshi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sakshi 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 Sakshi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sakshi 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 Sakshi 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 Sakshi?
Want to know how many people have the name Sakshi? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.