| Kavya | Mahi | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | poetry, a poem | the earth; the great one |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | KAAV-yah | MAH-hee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1987 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2012 (106) | 2009 (100) |
| In 2025 | 75 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Kavya | Mahi |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 425 | 198 |
| 2010s | 968 | 600 |
| 2000s | 614 | 438 |
| 1990s | 133 | 0 |
| 1980s | 6 | 0 |
From Sanskrit kavya (काव्य), 'poetry, a poem, poetic composition', related to kavi 'poet, seer'. Well established.
From Sanskrit mahi (मही), 'the earth, the world; great'. Note a homophone from a different root: Persian/Urdu mahi means 'fish'.
Kavya is more popular than Mahi today: about 75 US babies were given the name Kavya in 2025, compared with 0 named Mahi.
Kavya means poetry, a poem (sanskrit origin), while Mahi means the earth; the great one (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Kavya first appears in 1987 and Mahi in 0, so Mahi has the longer recorded history.