| Rakesh | Nirav | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lord of the full moon | Silent, calm, quiet |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | rah-KESH | NEE-ruhv |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1980 (21) | 1984 (21) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Rakesh | Nirav |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 0 | 48 |
| 2010s | 11 | 120 |
| 2000s | 58 | 63 |
| 1990s | 75 | 63 |
| 1980s | 153 | 158 |
| 1970s | 129 | 94 |
| 1960s | 16 | 0 |
Rakesh combines Sanskrit raka ('full moon' or the full-moon night) and isha ('lord, ruler'), i.e. 'lord of the full moon,' per Monier-Williams. A genuine, dictionary-backed lunar name.
From the Sanskrit निरव (nirava), 'soundless, still', formed from nir- ('without') + rava ('sound, noise') — hence tranquil stillness. A genuine, if less common, classical formation.
Rakesh and Nirav are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Rakesh means Lord of the full moon (sanskrit origin), while Nirav means Silent, calm, quiet (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Rakesh first appears in 0 and Nirav in 0, so Rakesh has the longer recorded history.