Boys' name · since 1971
Nikhil
5,404 babies named Nikhil in U.S. Social Security records since 1971, with the highest year being 2007. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,704 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,853 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,404
- born since 1971
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Nikhil is the #2853 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 5,404 recorded since 1971.
Nikhil has 5,404 recorded births among boys since 1971, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2853 as of the latest data, more common than 80% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1971 to 2025.
- #1,704 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,853 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 5,404 born since 1971
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nikhil ranks #1,704 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,853 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,404 born since 1971, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1,704 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,853 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,404
- born since 1971
- 2000s
- peak decade
Nikhil's 5,404 recorded births place it above 96.25% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
20 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nikhil compares
5,404 Top 12% higher than 88% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Nikhil's all-time total is 15x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nikhil | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,404 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 261 | 34 | 22,252 |
Nikhil's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nikhil's full recorded timeline at 1999, 74% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 26% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1973, with just 8 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2007 peak of 261 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nikhil popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2025
- Peak year (2007)
- 261
- Annual births at peak, across 55 years of records
Nikhil by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (2,141 births, 40% of the file).
2000s was Nikhil's strongest decade.
2,141 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.
Nikhil births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 111
1970s
111 births
- 1980s 426
1980s
426 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,073 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,141 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,320 births
- 2020s 333
2020s
333 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 2,141 births (40% of all-time use).
How Nikhil compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Nikhil's total volume
Nikhil by state
Where Nikhil concentrates geographically, total births since 1971
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,052 | 19.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 468 | 8.7% |
| #3 | New Jersey | | 431 | 8.0% |
| #4 | Texas | | 348 | 6.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 290 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 179 | 3.3% |
| #7 | Virginia | | 159 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 138 | 2.6% |
1,052 of 5,404 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 20 reporting states.
Nikhil appears in 20 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nikhil? ▼
Where does Nikhil sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nikhil most popular? ▼
Where is Nikhil most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nikhil been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nikhil? ▼
What to do with Nikhil's data
- Nikhil's decade-level peak was the 2000s (2,141 total births); usage has since declined to 333 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nikhils (1,052 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nikhil
Nearby Names Like Nikhil
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nikhil
Compare Nikhil side by side: Nikhil vs Nikolas Nikhil vs Niko Nikhil vs Nikolai
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nikhil
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nikhil: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2007)
Similar record span (~54 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1971–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Nikhil draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.