Narayana
Narayana is an Indian name. It is identical in form to the name of the deity Narayana, another name for Vishnu. The name Narayana is predominantly used in South India especially among Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu speakers.
Meaning & Origin of Narayana
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Narayana is an Indian name. It is identical in form to the name of the deity Narayana, another name for Vishnu. The name Narayana is predominantly used in South India especially among Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu speakers.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Narayana
As a girl name
American parents first put Narayana on the record books as a girl name in 2002, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2002, when 5 Narayanas were born — ranking #15,431 that year. Narayana last appeared in the published SSA data in 2002, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 5 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Narayana on the record books as a boy name in 1979, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1979, when 6 Narayanas were born — ranking #5,355 that year. About 35% of every Narayana on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. Narayana last appeared in the published SSA data in 2006, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 17 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Narayana
Phonetically similar names — useful when Narayana 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 Narayana
What does the name Narayana mean?
How popular is Narayana in 2026?
When was Narayana most popular?
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About the name Narayana
Narayana is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1979 and has accumulated 17 births in the dataset. Narayana's peak popularity came in 1979 when it ranked #5,355. Use the chart and map above to compare Narayana's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1979 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "N" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.