UK boy's name
Kishen
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "lord" or "prince".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2011. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kishen is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kishen popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2011 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3830, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 11 births.
This profile covers 56 England and Wales registrations across 11 recorded years from 1996 to 2011. 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 36% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 55 living people in the UK are called Kishen. 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 2012 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kishen ranked #3830 for boys in England and Wales in 2011, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 11 boys were registered as Kishen.
- • About 55 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kishen as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3830
2011
Births in 2011
4
Latest year
Peak year
1996
11 births
Estimated living
55
2026
Meaning
What does Kishen mean?
The name Kishen is of Hindu origin and is derived from the Sanskrit word "Krishna," which means "dark" or "black." It is a popular name among Hindus, particularly in India and other parts of South Asia.
Kishen is a variation of the name Krishna, which is the name of one of the most revered deities in Hinduism. According to Hindu mythology, Krishna was an avatar (incarnation) of the supreme deity Vishnu and is widely worshipped as a god in his own right. The name Kishen is often given to boys born on the auspicious day of Janmashtami, which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.
In the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata, which is believed to have been composed between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE, Kishen (Krishna) plays a pivotal role as a mentor and guide to the Pandava princes. The Bhagavad Gita, a central text in Hinduism, is a dialogue between Kishen and Arjuna, one of the Pandava princes, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kishen can be found in the Puranas, which are ancient Hindu texts that narrate the stories of various deities, including Krishna. The name Kishen is also mentioned in several other Hindu scriptures and religious texts.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kishen. One of the most famous was Kishen Mohan Bangur (1889-1982), an Indian industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Bangur Group of companies. Another prominent figure was Kishen Chand (1670-1748), a Mughal-era poet and scholar who wrote in Persian and Braj Bhasha.
Other notable individuals with the name Kishen include Kishen Singh (1858-1917), an Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter; Kishen Pershad (1864-1953), an Indian historian and academic; and Kishen Lal (1926-2017), an Indian diplomat and politician who served as the Governor of Haryana and Goa.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kishen over time
The chart below shows babies named Kishen registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2011. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kishen, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2011, compared with 11 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kishen by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kishen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4254 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | #2758 | 22 | 5 |
| 1990s | #1857 | 27 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Kishen
- 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
Kishen: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kishen in the UK right now?
In 2011, Kishen was ranked #3830 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Kishen most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 11 babies registered as Kishen in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kishen?
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "lord" or "prince".
How many people are called Kishen in the UK?
A total of 56 babies have been registered as Kishen across the 11 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.