| Nishka | Nitya | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Gold coin, gold ornament | eternal, constant |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | NISH-kuh | NIT-yah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1988 |
| Peak year | 2010 (46) | 2005 (57) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 44 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Nishka | Nitya |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 81 | 215 |
| 2010s | 311 | 386 |
| 2000s | 147 | 435 |
| 1990s | 0 | 95 |
| 1980s | 0 | 5 |
From the Sanskrit निष्क (niṣka), an ancient gold coin, and by extension a golden necklace or ornament — attested in the Manusmriti and other classical texts. Popular 'pure/honest' glosses on name sites are not supported by the classical sources.
From Sanskrit nitya (नित्य), 'eternal, perpetual, constant'; also used as an epithet of the Goddess (Durga/Devi). Well established.
Nitya is more popular than Nishka today: about 44 US babies were given the name Nitya in 2025, compared with 0 named Nishka.
Nishka means Gold coin, gold ornament (sanskrit origin), while Nitya means eternal, constant (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Nishka first appears in 0 and Nitya in 1988, so Nishka has the longer recorded history.