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