Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Ganesh
“lord of the hosts”·“in Hinduism, the god of wisdom”
Ganesh is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “lord of the hosts” (Sanskrit) and “in Hinduism, the god of wisdom” (Hindi). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “lord of the hosts” (Sanskrit) and “in Hinduism, the god of wisdom” (Hindi). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
Its Sanskrit formation brings together gana (“host or horde”) and isa (“lord”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1977. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ganesh through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 291
- 291 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1993
- 14 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2021. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,974 as a first name in 2020; 2,390 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ganesh’s family of names
Ganesh has a related form in Ganesha. Ganesh has a related form in Ganeshah. Ganesh has a related form in Ganeshe.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ganesh
- Ganesh Vasudev MavalankarIndian politician (1888–1956)
- Ganesh AcharyaIndian choreographer and occasional film actor active in Bollywoodborn 1971
- Ganesh VenkatramanIndian actorborn 1980
- Ganesh HegdeIndian singer, performer, video director and choreographerborn 1974
- Ganesh PrasadIndian mathematician (1876-1935)
- Ganesh PatroIndian film writer (1945-2015)
- Ganesh HaloiIndian artist (born 1936)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ganesh, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Aneesh
“having no lord/master”
>99% boys
Paras
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Jagdeep
Jagdeep is a masculine given name from Hindi.
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Ankit
Ankit is a masculine given name from Hindi.
>99% boys
Ralik
“one who has been purified”
>99% boys
Sandesh
“message, news”
>99% boys
Dinesh
“lord of the day” · “of the sun”
>99% boys
Mahesh
“great ruler” · “a great ruler”
>99% boys