| Nirav | Aniket | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Silent, calm, quiet | Without a home (Shiva) |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | NEE-ruhv | uh-ni-KAYT |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1984 (21) | 2003 (29) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Nirav | Aniket |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 48 | 16 |
| 2010s | 120 | 122 |
| 2000s | 63 | 171 |
| 1990s | 63 | 22 |
| 1980s | 158 | 0 |
| 1970s | 94 | 0 |
From the Sanskrit निरव (nirava), 'soundless, still', formed from nir- ('without') + rava ('sound, noise') — hence tranquil stillness. A genuine, if less common, classical formation.
From Sanskrit aniketa (अनिकेत), 'homeless, having no fixed abode', used as an epithet of Shiva (who belongs everywhere and nowhere). The meaning carries an ascetic, all-encompassing sense rather than a negative one.
Nirav and Aniket are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Nirav means Silent, calm, quiet (sanskrit origin), while Aniket means Without a home (Shiva) (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Nirav first appears in 0 and Aniket in 0, so Nirav has the longer recorded history.