Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Krishna
Krishna is used as a given name and a surname. One Hindi interpretation is “in Hiniduism, an avatar of Vishnu, portrayed as a handsome man playing the flute.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hindi interpretation is “in Hiniduism, an avatar of Vishnu, portrayed as a handsome man playing the flute.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
The name draws on Sanskrit krsna, meaning “black, dark”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Krishna through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,291
- 2,385 boys · 1,906 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 123 babies
- 2025
- 85
- #2,120 for boys · #6,995 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −5%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 78% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 69 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,120 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 7.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 85 in 2007. It also appeared in 16 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (12). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,606 as a first name in 2020; 2,435 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.
Krishna’s family of names
In English usage, Krishna has a diminutive in KRISH. Krishna has a related form in Kannan. Krishna has a related form in Kannan.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Krishna
- Krishna Prasad BhattaraiNepalese politician (1924-2011)
- Krishna SobtiIndian writer (1925–2019)
- S. M. KrishnaIndian politician1932–2024
- Krishna PooniaIndian discus thrower & Member of legislative assemblyborn 1982
- Krishna HutheesingIndian writer1907–1967
- Krishna Raja Wadiyar IVKing of Mysore (1884–1940)
- Krishna KohliPakistani politicianborn 1979
- Krushna AbhishekIndian film actor and comedianborn 1983
- KrishnaIndian film actor, director and producer1943–2022
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Krishna, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kiran
“dust, thread” · “a ray of light”
87% boys · 13% girls
Aditya
“of the sun”
>99% boys
Vishnu
“in Hinduism, the supreme god”
>99% boys
Aarush
Aarush is a masculine given name from Hindi.
>99% boys
Aryan
“noble; noble one”
94% boys · 6% girls
Rishabh
Rishabh is a masculine given name from Hindi.
>99% boys
Pradyumna
Pradyumna is a masculine given name from Sanskrit.
>99% boys
Arjuna
“the white one”
94% boys · 6% girls