Kanishk
Kanishka I, also known as Kanishka the Great, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign the empire reached its zenith. He is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. A descendant of Kujula Kadphises, founder of the Kushan empire, Kanishka came to rule an empire extending from Central Asia and Gandhara to Pataliputra on the Gangetic plain.
Meaning & Origin of Kanishk
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kanishka I, also known as Kanishka the Great, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign the empire reached its zenith. He is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. A descendant of Kujula Kadphises, founder of the Kushan empire, Kanishka came to rule an empire extending from Central Asia and Gandhara to Pataliputra on the Gangetic plain.
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The Story of Kanishk
American parents first put Kanishk on the record books as a baby boy name in 2002, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2010, when 16 Kanishks were born — ranking #5,478 that year. About 53% of every Kanishk on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Kanishk last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 176 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Kanishk
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kanishk is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kanishk
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About the name Kanishk
Kanishk is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2002 and has accumulated 176 births in the dataset. Kanishk's peak popularity came in 2010 when it ranked #5,478. Use the chart and map above to compare Kanishk's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2010 →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.