Boy · #10,798 in 2026

Keshava

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

Keshava is an epithet of Vishnu in Hindu tradition. The name appears as the 23rd and 648th names in the Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata. Keshava is also venerated by those persons wanting to avert bad luck or ill-omens. His consort is Kirti (Lakshmi).

Current Rank

#10,798

Peak Rank

#10,743 (2016)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

2016

First Year

2019

Last Year

2016

Peak Year

#10743

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Keshava

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

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

Etymology

Keshava means "the one with beautiful long (unshorn) hair" or "killer of the Keshi demon ". According to the Padma Purana , the name refers to Krishna's long, beautiful, looking unshorn hair. Referring to Sangraha Ramayana of Narayana Panditacharya , Authors Meenakshi Bharat and Madhu Grover says that "The name Keshava refers to Vishnu. The letter 'Ka' refers to Brahma and 'Isha' refers to Shiva . The word Keshava refers to one who animates both Brahma and Shiva".

The Story of Keshava

Keshava first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 2016, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2016: 6 births, good for #10,743 nationwide. Keshava last appeared in the published SSA data in 2019, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 12 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2010s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Keshava

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

Keshav
Keshia
Cava
Yeshiva
Cassia
Cassava
Keva
Casava
Kosova
Cachaca
Yeshivah
Kujawa

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Keshava

What does the name Keshava mean?

How popular is Keshava in 2026?

In 2026, Keshava ranks #10,798 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Keshava most popular?

Keshava reached its peak popularity in 2016, ranking #10,743 that year with 6 babies given the name.

Is Keshava a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Keshava?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Keshava include Adeline, Dein, Jakiel. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Keshava

Keshava is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2016 and has accumulated 12 births in the dataset. Keshava's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #10,743. Use the chart and map above to compare Keshava'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.