UK boy's name
Keshav
Masculine name of Hindu origin meaning "the lord who has long hair".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Keshav is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Keshav popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1758, with 14 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 16 births.
This profile covers 275 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 88% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 273 living people in the UK are called Keshav. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Keshav ranked #1758 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 14 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2005, when 16 boys were registered as Keshav.
- • About 273 living people in the UK are estimated to have Keshav as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1758
2024
Births in 2024
14
Latest year
Peak year
2005
16 births
Estimated living
273
2026
Meaning
What does Keshav mean?
The name Keshav is of Hindu origin and is believed to have originated in ancient India. It is a Sanskrit name derived from the words "Kesha," meaning hair, and "Va," meaning having or possessing. Thus, the name Keshav can be interpreted as "one with beautiful hair" or "long-haired one."
The name Keshav has deep roots in Hindu mythology and is one of the many names associated with Lord Vishnu, the preserver and protector deity in the Hindu trinity. In the sacred Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is referred to as Keshav.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keshav can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, which is dated between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. In this epic, Keshav is mentioned as one of the many names of Lord Krishna.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Keshav. One of the most famous was Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (1889-1940), the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a prominent Hindu nationalist organization in India.
Another notable figure was Keshav Prasad Mishra (1918-2006), an Indian politician and freedom fighter who served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, from 1962 to 1963.
In the realm of literature, Keshav Pandurang Sathe (1919-2001) was a renowned Marathi writer, poet, and playwright who made significant contributions to Marathi literature. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor, in 1998.
Keshav Krishnarao Bhole (1914-1990) was an Indian mathematician and statistician who made notable contributions to the field of probability theory and stochastic processes.
Lastly, Keshav Prasad Chandra (1820-1901) was a renowned Indian historian and writer who authored several books on Indian history and culture, including "The Modern History of India" and "The Travels of a Hindu."
While the name Keshav is primarily associated with Hinduism, it has transcended religious boundaries and is used by people of various faiths and backgrounds, particularly in India and other parts of South Asia.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Keshav over time
The chart below shows babies named Keshav registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Keshav, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 14 births in 2024, compared with 16 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keshav by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Keshav was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2280 | 51 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2144 | 105 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1869 | 95 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1842 | 24 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Keshav
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Keshav: questions and answers
How popular is the name Keshav in the UK right now?
In 2024, Keshav was ranked #1758 for boys in England and Wales, with 14 births registered.
When was Keshav most popular?
The peak year on record was 2005, with 16 babies registered as Keshav in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Keshav?
Masculine name of Hindu origin meaning "the lord who has long hair".
How many people are called Keshav in the UK?
A total of 275 babies have been registered as Keshav across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.