Shankar
Shankar is an Indian name. It is also the name of Hindu god, Shiva. It is a Majhi word meaning "beneficent" or "giver of bliss".
- Hindi
- Marathi
- Kannada
- Malayalam
Meaning & Origin of Shankar
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Shankar is an Indian name. It is also the name of Hindu god, Shiva. It is a Majhi word meaning "beneficent" or "giver of bliss".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Hindi
- Marathi
- Kannada
- Malayalam
- Telugu
- Tamil
- Bengali
- Nepali
The Story of Shankar
The earliest SSA record of Shankar as a baby boy name dates back to 1985, when 5 babies received it. 1997 was its biggest year on record, with 9 newborns named Shankar — #6,100 in the national rankings. The 1990s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 36% of all recorded Shankars. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2018 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 80 Shankars have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Shankar
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Shankar. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Sankar
Where is Shankar most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- India50%
- QA15%
- AE12%
- OM12%
- BH11%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Shankar
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shankar is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Shanker
- Shamgar
- Shakir
- Schenker
- Shenker
- Shikar
- Chunkier
- Janker
- Lankier
- Shank
- Shanks
- Shanked
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shankar
What does the name Shankar mean?
What is the origin of the name Shankar?
How popular is Shankar in 2026?
When was Shankar most popular?
Is Shankar a unisex name?
What names go well with Shankar?
What are nicknames or variants of Shankar?
About the name Shankar
Shankar is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1985 and has accumulated 80 births in the dataset. Shankar's peak popularity came in 1997 when it ranked #6,100. Use the chart and map above to compare Shankar's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1997 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all boy names →
- 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.