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🦋 RareBoy nameSanskritHindu

Keshav

“One with beautiful long hair, an epithet of Krishna and slayer of Keshi”

2 syllables · 6 letters

About the name Keshav

Commentators split on whether Keshav praises Krishna's hair or commemorates his killing of the horse-demon Keshi, and devotees happily hold both. Two easy syllables and a strong Krishna association have made it one of the safest classical picks for diaspora families.

Keshav is a boy name of Sanskrit origin, pronounced KAY-shuv. On the NameRarity scale it scores 74 out of 100, which places it in the rare band — recognisable but seldom used. Distinctive without needing to be spelled out twice. Its strongest period was the steadily rising.

Associated with
charmingwarmquickgraceful

Name facts at a glance

Meaning
One with beautiful long hair, an epithet of Krishna and slayer of Keshi
Origin
Sanskrit
Gender
Boy
Pronunciation
KAY-shuv
Syllables
2
Letters
6
US rank
Outside top 1000
Peak era
steadily rising
Rarity
74 / 100
Per million
~11
Starts with
K
Numerology
3 · The Storyteller

How popular is Keshav?

Popularity26/100
Rarity74/100

Keshav currently falls outside the US top 1,000, which is a large part of why it scores so highly for rarity. Roughly 11 people per million carry it — about 1 in 90,909. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.

Famous people named Keshav

  • Keshav Maharaj
    South African international cricketer and spin bowler
  • Keshav Dutt
    Indian hockey player and double Olympic gold medallist

Spellings and variants of Keshav

KeshavaKesavaKesav

Names similar to Keshav

Very Rare

Madhav

MAH-dahv

Sweet like honey; an epithet of Krishna, lord of Lakshmi

Sanskrit88% rare
Rare

Raghav

RAA-ghuv

Descendant of Raghu, an epithet of Rama

Sanskrit73% rare
Very Rare

Gobind

GOH-bind

Protector of cows, an epithet of Krishna used in Gurbani for God

Sanskrit87% rare
Very Rare

Govind

goh-VIND

Finder of cows; an epithet of Krishna and Vishnu

Sanskrit88% rare
Very Rare

Jatin

juh-TEEN

One with matted hair, an epithet of Shiva

Sanskrit84% rare
Very Rare

Kunal

koo-NAAL

Lotus, a bird with beautiful eyes

Sanskrit80% rare
Very Rare

Nilesh

nee-LAYSH

Lord of the blue, an epithet of Krishna

Sanskrit88% rare
Ultra Rare

Bhargav

BHAR-guv

Descendant of sage Bhrigu, an epithet of Shiva

Sanskrit92% rare
Browse all 1,284 names →

Keshav — frequently asked questions

What does the name Keshav mean?

Keshav means "One with beautiful long hair, an epithet of Krishna and slayer of Keshi". It is a name of Sanskrit origin, most often given to a boy.

How do you pronounce Keshav?

Keshav is pronounced KAY-shuv, with 2 syllables.

How rare is the name Keshav?

Keshav scores 74 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it rare. Roughly 1 in every 90,909 people carry it — about 11 per million.

What is the numerology number for Keshav?

Keshav carries the expression number 3, known as The Storyteller. Its soul urge number is 6 and its personality number is 6.

What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Keshav?

The lucky number for Keshav is 3 (with 12, 21, 30 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Lilac Amethyst. The traditional lucky day is Thursday and the associated gemstone is Amethyst.