Given name · also Sanskrit
Vishnu
“in Hinduism, the supreme god”
Vishnu is used as a given name. One Hindi interpretation is “in Hinduism, the supreme god.”
Original Hindiविष्णु
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hindi interpretation is “in Hinduism, the supreme god.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
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
Vishnu through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,130
- 1,130 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 65 babies
- 2025
- 17
- #5,590 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −29%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 17 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,590 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 29.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 65 in 2007. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,606 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.
Vishnu’s family of names
Vishnu has a related form in Bishen. Vishnu has a related form in Bishen. In English usage, Vishnu has a conventional equivalent in the Hindi form विष्णु.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Vishnu
- Vishnu Sakharam KhandekarIndian writer (1889–1976)
- Vishnu VishalIndian actorborn 1984
- Vishnu Sitaram SukthankarIndian Sanskrit scholar and indologist (1887–1943)
- Vishnudas BhaveIndian pioneer of Marathi theatre (1819–1901)
- Vishnu WaghIndian politician, poet and playwright (1964-2019)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Vishnu, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Vijay
“one who is victorious; the conquerer”
>99% boys
Vivek
“one who is judicious; filled with wisdom”
>99% boys
Varun
“the lord of the waters”
>99% boys
Vadin
“a known speaker”
>99% boys
Rishabh
Rishabh is a masculine given name from Hindi.
>99% boys
Vivaan
“plaiting, twisting”
>99% boys
Vansh
Vansh is a masculine given name from Sanskrit.
>99% boys
Rishab
“one who is musically talented”
>99% boys