| Ayush | Ishan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Long life | The sun; ruler; a name of Shiva |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AH-yush | ee-SHAHN |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1992 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2005 (132) | 2009 (148) |
| In 2025 | 29 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ayush | Ishan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 206 | 476 |
| 2010s | 793 | 1,048 |
| 2000s | 980 | 978 |
| 1990s | 77 | 212 |
| 1980s | 0 | 23 |
From Sanskrit ayus (आयुस्), 'life, vital power, long life, longevity'. A blessing-name wishing the child a long life.
From the Sanskrit ईशान (īśāna), 'ruler, master'. It is an epithet of the god Shiva, also denotes the sun and the north-eastern quarter (one of the dikpalas). A genuine, well-attested Vedic/classical term.
Ayush is more popular than Ishan today: about 29 US babies were given the name Ayush in 2025, compared with 0 named Ishan.
Ayush means Long life (sanskrit origin), while Ishan means The sun; ruler; a name of Shiva (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Ayush first appears in 1992 and Ishan in 0, so Ishan has the longer recorded history.