| Aarnav | Shiv | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Ocean, sea | Auspicious; Lord Shiva |
| Origin | sanskrit | Sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AHR-nuhv | SHIV |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1984 |
| Peak year | 2012 (62) | 2024 (92) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 92 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aarnav | Shiv |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 88 | 505 |
| 2010s | 345 | 719 |
| 2000s | 138 | 627 |
| 1990s | 0 | 291 |
| 1980s | 0 | 51 |
From the Sanskrit अर्णव (arṇava), meaning 'ocean' or 'sea', literally 'the foaming/surging water'. A well-established classical Sanskrit word for a great body of water, commonly spelled Arnav or Aarnav.
Shiv names Lord Shiva and means “auspicious” or “benign.”
Shiv is more popular than Aarnav today: about 92 US babies were given the name Shiv in 2025, compared with 0 named Aarnav.
Aarnav means Ocean, sea (sanskrit origin), while Shiv means Auspicious; Lord Shiva (Sanskrit origin).
In US records, Aarnav first appears in 0 and Shiv in 1984, so Aarnav has the longer recorded history.