Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Madhav
“a kind or sweet man”
Madhav is used as a given name and a surname. One Indian interpretation is “a kind or sweet man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Indian interpretation is “a kind or sweet man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
The name draws on Sanskrit mādhava, meaning “vernal”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1992. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Madhav through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 642
- 642 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 35 babies
- 2025
- 34
- #3,418 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +29%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 34 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,418 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 28.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,185 as a first name in 2020; 186 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.
Madhav’s family of names
Madhav has a feminine form in Madhavi. In English usage, Madhav was borrowed from the Hindi form माधव.
The ring: across languages.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Madhav
- Madhav GadgilIndian ecologist, writer, environmental activist1942–2026
- M. P. PanditIndian Spiritual author, teacher and Sanskrit scholar (1918-1993)
- Madhav BorkarIndian poet and litterateurborn 1954
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Madhav, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Mohan
“an attractive woman”
>99% boys
Ajit
“one who is invincible”
>99% boys
Jahan
“man of the world”
96% boys · 4% girls
Hriday
“of the heart and mind”
>99% boys
Sahib
“lord of the house”
87% boys · 13% girls
Tarak
“one who protects others”
>99% boys
Hari
“resembling a lion”
95% boys · 5% girls
Jabal
“an attractive man”
>99% boys