Given name
Shiv
“God is gracious”
Shiv is a variant of Shiva. One Hindi interpretation is “one who is good; lucky; in Hinduism, the god of destruction and restoration.” In English use, Shiv is a diminutive of Siobhan. In Irish use, Siobhan carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Shiv is a variant of Shiva. One Hindi interpretation is “one who is good; lucky; in Hinduism, the god of destruction and restoration.” In English use, Shiv is a diminutive of Siobhan. In Irish use, Siobhan carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Shiv is a variant of Shiva. An origin associated with Shiva is Sanskrit.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Shiv is used as a variant of Shiva.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1984. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Shiv through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,193
- 2,193 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 92 babies
- 2025
- 92
- #1,766 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +18%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 92 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,766 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 18.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California and New Jersey shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (12 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,237 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Shiv’s family of names
In English usage, Shiv is a diminutive of Siobhan. In English usage, Shiv developed from शिव. Shiv has a related form in Shiva.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Shiv
- Shiv NadarIndian businessmanborn 1945
- Shiv KheraIndian politicianborn 1949
- Shiv Kumar SubramaniamIndian actor and screenwriter1959–2022
- Shiv Kapurprofessional golferborn 1982
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Shiv, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.