| Aniket | Nirav | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Without a home (Shiva) | Silent, calm, quiet |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | uh-ni-KAYT | NEE-ruhv |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2003 (29) | 1984 (21) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aniket | Nirav |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 16 | 48 |
| 2010s | 122 | 120 |
| 2000s | 171 | 63 |
| 1990s | 22 | 63 |
| 1980s | 0 | 158 |
| 1970s | 0 | 94 |
From Sanskrit aniketa (अनिकेत), 'homeless, having no fixed abode', used as an epithet of Shiva (who belongs everywhere and nowhere). The meaning carries an ascetic, all-encompassing sense rather than a negative one.
From the Sanskrit निरव (nirava), 'soundless, still', formed from nir- ('without') + rava ('sound, noise') — hence tranquil stillness. A genuine, if less common, classical formation.
Aniket and Nirav are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Aniket means Without a home (Shiva) (sanskrit origin), while Nirav means Silent, calm, quiet (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Aniket first appears in 0 and Nirav in 0, so Aniket has the longer recorded history.