| Ishaan | Pranav | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The sun; lord | The sacred syllable Om |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | i-SHAAN | PRUH-nav |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1990 | 1977 |
| Peak year | 2019 (289) | 2004 (236) |
| In 2025 | 266 | 56 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ishaan | Pranav |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,584 | 398 |
| 2010s | 2,585 | 1,426 |
| 2000s | 1,216 | 2,010 |
| 1990s | 77 | 358 |
| 1980s | 0 | 28 |
| 1970s | 0 | 5 |
From Sanskrit ishana (ईशान), 'ruler, master', also a name of the sun and an epithet of Shiva (lord of the northeast direction). Glossed both as 'the sun' and 'lord/ruler'.
From Sanskrit pranava (प्रणव), the term for the sacred syllable 'Om', regarded as the primordial sound. A spiritually weighted name meaning the mystic syllable itself.
Ishaan is more popular than Pranav today: about 266 US babies were given the name Ishaan in 2025, compared with 56 named Pranav.
Ishaan means The sun; lord (sanskrit origin), while Pranav means The sacred syllable Om (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Ishaan first appears in 1990 and Pranav in 1977, so Pranav has the longer recorded history.