| Dev | Ishan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God; divine | The sun; ruler; a name of Shiva |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | DAYV | ee-SHAHN |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1969 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2009 (145) | 2009 (148) |
| In 2025 | 126 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dev | Ishan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 690 | 476 |
| 2010s | 1,188 | 1,048 |
| 2000s | 975 | 978 |
| 1990s | 147 | 212 |
| 1980s | 85 | 23 |
| 1970s | 56 | 0 |
| 1960s | 5 | 0 |
From Sanskrit deva (देव), 'god, deity, divine one', from a root meaning 'to shine'. A simple, ancient word meaning 'divine'.
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.
Dev is more popular than Ishan today: about 126 US babies were given the name Dev in 2025, compared with 0 named Ishan.
Dev means God; divine (sanskrit origin), while Ishan means The sun; ruler; a name of Shiva (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Dev first appears in 1969 and Ishan in 0, so Ishan has the longer recorded history.