Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Shiva
Shiva is used as a given name and a surname. One Hindi interpretation is “one who is good; lucky; in Hinduism, the god of destruction and restoration.”
Original Hindiशिव
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hindi interpretation is “one who is good; lucky; in Hinduism, the god of destruction and restoration.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
The name draws on Sanskrit siva, meaning “benign, auspicious”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1968. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Shiva through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 827
- 543 boys · 284 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 30 babies
- 2025
- 24
- #4,370 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +45%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 24 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,370 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 40.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,982 as a first name in 2020; 247 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.
Shiva’s family of names
Shiva has a related form in Siva. In English usage, Shiva has a related form in Shiv. Shiva has a related form in Shiv.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
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 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Shiva
- Shiva RajkumarKannada film actorborn 1961
- Shiva NegarIranian-Canadian actress and modelborn 1992
- Shiva NaipaulTrinidad and Tobago writer (1945–1985)
- Shiva RoseAmerican actressborn 1969
- Shivmangal Singh SumanHindi poet1915–2002
- Shiva Tafari NagasawaJapanese association football playerborn 2001
- Shiva Kumar RaiIndian writer of Nepali language (1919–1995)
- Shiva BoloorianIranian film director and actorborn 1979
- Shiva RegmiNepali film director1965–2013
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Shiva, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Shaurya
Shaurya is a masculine given name from Sanskrit.
>99% boys
Keshava
Keshava is a masculine given name from Sanskrit.
>99% boys
Hari
“resembling a lion”
95% boys · 5% girls
Virat
“a supreme ruler”
>99% boys
Divij
Divij is a masculine given name from Hindi. It is used in French.
>99% boys
Ishaan
“of the sun”
>99% boys
Pragyan
“intelligence, wisdom”
>99% boys
Keshav
Keshav is a masculine given name from Sanskrit.
>99% boys