Boy · #4,759 in 2026

Karthikeya

Name: Popularity of the name Karthikeya in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Karthikeya, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Kartikeya (IAST: Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha or Muruga(n), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the son of the deities Shiva and Parvati and the brother of Ganesha.

Current Rank

#4,759

Peak Rank

#2,993 (2016)

Total Babies

378

5-Yr Trend

-2%

2004

First Year

2026

Last Year

2016

Peak Year

#2993

Peak Rank

378

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Karthikeya

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Karthikeya

Karthikeya first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 2004, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2016, when 39 Karthikeyas were born — ranking #2,993 that year. As of 2026, Karthikeya ranks #4,759 for baby boys with 21 births, holding steady (-2%). In total, more than 378 Karthikeyas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2000s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Karthikeya

Phonetically similar names — useful when Karthikeya is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Kartikeya
Caracara
Caracalla
Carmichael
Karmically
Caragana
Karmathian
Kamakura
Kamikaze
Comically

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Karthikeya

What does the name Karthikeya mean?

How popular is Karthikeya in 2026?

In 2026, Karthikeya ranks #4,759 among boys' names in the U.S., with 21 babies given the name that year.

When was Karthikeya most popular?

Karthikeya reached its peak popularity in 2016, ranking #2,993 that year with 39 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Karthikeya most popular?

Karthikeya has historically been most popular in New Jersey, California, Texas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Karthikeya.

Is Karthikeya a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Karthikeya is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Karthikeya?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Karthikeya include Aly, Hisham, Saud. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Karthikeya

Karthikeya is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2004 and has accumulated 378 births in the dataset. Karthikeya's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #2,993. Use the chart and map above to compare Karthikeya's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.