Agastya
Agastya was the 929th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 253 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 981 places. More babies were named Agastya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Sanskrit
Say it uh-GUST-yuh /əˈɡʌstjə/
- Rank in 2025
- #929 boys, up 610 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 253boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025253 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,608babies recorded
What does the name Agastya mean?
Agastya is the name of a revered sage of Hindu tradition, credited with hymns of the Rigveda and remembered in South Indian and Tamil tradition as a great scholar. The name also refers to the star Canopus. Its etymology is not settled. A traditional Sanskrit grammatical explanation reported by Monier-Williams reads the related form Agasti as 'thrower of the mountain' (aga 'mountain' + asti 'thrower'), matching the legend that he made the Vindhya mountains bow down; this is a traditional reading rather than a proven etymology.
अगस्त्य (Sanskrit, “name of a Vedic sage; the star Canopus”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Only a traditional grammarians' explanation ('thrower of the mountain') is recorded.
Other explanations you may read: 'thrower of the mountain' (aga + asti).
Related names: Agasti, Agathiyar.
See also: Sanskrit and Indian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'अगस्त्य' (Hindi section), Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Agastya', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Monier Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), s.v. 'agasti, agastya' (Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries), Oxford, Clarendon Press (public domain); digitized by University of Cologne
- Wikipedia, 'Agastya', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Agastya popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #929 | 253 |
| 2020 | #1,539 | 107 |
| 2010 | #5,256 | 17 |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Agastya, counting every spelling?
Agastya has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #897 for boys in 2025, against #929 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Agastya?
253 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Agastya (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Agastya born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 33 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Agastya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Agastya?
About 1,600 people born in the US named Agastya are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 2 and 10. That makes Agastya a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Agastya by state
How common Agastya was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Washington (4.5×), New Jersey (4.1×), Massachusetts (3.1×), California (2.2×). In 35 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Agastya: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Agastya, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Agastya · Sibling names for Agastya
Questions about the name Agastya
What does Agastya mean?
The origin of Agastya is uncertain: Only a traditional grammarians' explanation ('thrower of the mountain') is recorded.
How popular is the name Agastya?
Agastya was the 929th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 253 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 981 places. More babies were named Agastya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Agastya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Agastya in the US.
Where is Agastya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Agastya was most common in Washington (0.47 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and Massachusetts.