Unisex name · since 1980
Shiva
Shiva has 543 recorded births since 1980 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2021 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #7,509 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,312 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 543
- born since 1980
- 2000s
- peak decade
543 babies have been named Shiva since 1980, making it today's #4312 unisex name.
Shiva has 543 recorded births among boys since 1980, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4312 as of the latest data, more common than 69% 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 1980 to 2025.
- #7,509 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,312 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 543 born since 1980
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shiva ranks #7,509 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,312 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 543 born since 1980, peaking in the 2000s.
- #7,509 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,312 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 543
- born since 1980
- 2000s
- peak decade
Shiva's 543 recorded births place it above 83.48% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Shiva compares
543 Top 42% higher than 58% 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
Shiva's all-time total is 47% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Shiva | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 543 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 24 | 34 | 22,252 |
Shiva's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shiva splits its recorded history at 2006: 55% of all births land in the more recent half, 45% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1980 (6 births) -- compare that against the 2021 peak of 24 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shiva popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1980–2025
- Peak year (2021)
- 24
- Annual births at peak, across 46 years of records
Shiva popularity over time - girls
284 total births recorded since 1968 (Shiva as girls' name)
Shiva by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (158 births, 29% of the file).
2000s was Shiva's strongest decade.
158 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Shiva births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 27
1980s
27 births
- 1990s
1990s
113 births
- 2000s
2000s
158 births
- 2010s
2010s
133 births
- 2020s
2020s
112 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 158 births (29% of all-time use).
How Shiva 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 Shiva's total volume
Shiva by state
Where Shiva concentrates geographically, total births since 1980
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 45 | 8.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 16 | 2.9% |
| #3 | Texas | | 5 | 0.9% |
45 of 543 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Shiva's data
- Shiva's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (158 total births) through the 2020s (112) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Shivas (45 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 Shiva
Nearby Names Like Shiva
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shiva
Compare Shiva side by side: Shiva vs Shirley Shiva vs Shiloh Shiva vs Shimon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Shiva
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shiva: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2021)
Similar record span (~45 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, 1980–2025 (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 Shiva 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.