Nirvana

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested across 9 languages in the etymology graph.

How Nirvana is read●(measured from records)

Nirvana is one spelling over 4 language communities, and the dictionaries record it differently in 2 of them. Each row is what a source recorded for that language, beside the share of this name’s records the language holds. No single row is the name’s meaning.

• Spanish35%

  No dictionary in our sources glosses Nirvana in Spanish.

• English27%

  Complete cessation of suffering; a blissful state attained through realization of sunyata; enlightened experience.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• Portuguese7.9%

  nirvana (complete cessation of suffering)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• Arabic5.8%

  No dictionary in our sources glosses Nirvana in Arabic.

The share is ours — how much of this name’s records each language holds. The sense beside it is the source’s, quoted and credited, including where it names a gender. We do not publish a gender of our own per language: our records carry one figure for the spelling as a whole.

Often considered alongside

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Nirvana, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Kurt
• Bodhi
• Opal
• Hope
• Nova
• Frances
• Arlo
• Rose

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Other names spelled this way◐(inferred from the name graph)

Nirvana is also recorded as 3 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom

  Languages: English, German, Dutch

  Also written Ñiřväñä

• Croatian given name7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Croatia, United States, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy

  Languages: Croatian, Serbian

  Also written Нирвана

• a separate name2 spellings in the group

  Also written Nirvāṇa

53 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Nirvana is also recorded in 3 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• From the Sanskrit word (meaning ‘extinction’) used in Buddhism and Hinduism to refer to the desirable ultimate state of absorption into the ground of all being. For its use as a modern first name, cf. Dharma, Karma, and Samsara.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• Dattatreya (N); Jina (N); Siva (N)

  as a name·Sunama Sarit (Hindi) Ten Thousand Sanskrit Names

• In Romanian, NIRVÁNA s. f. art. (În religia budistă, în filozofia indiană etc.) Stare de fericire realizată prin eliberarea de grijile vieții, de suferințe și prin contopirea sufletului individual cu esența divină, cu ajutorul contemplației și al ascezei.

  as a word·DEX online (dexonline.ro) - DEX '96 / DEX '98 definitions with etymology

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Princess Nirvana Devi, Princess of Bilkhab. 1928INMandealian Royal
• Nirvana CoppolaITItalian mathematician

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

How to address them○(machine-generated)

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Evidence●(measured from records)

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Nirvana mean?

In English, Complete cessation of suffering; a blissful state attained through realization of sunyata; enlightened experience.

Where does the name Nirvana come from?

From the Sanskrit word (meaning ‘extinction’) used in Buddhism and Hinduism to refer to the desirable ultimate state of absorption into the ground of all being. Recorded by A concise dictionary of first names.

How do you pronounce Nirvana?

A machine transcription gives /nirβana/ (IPA) for Spanish.

Is Nirvana a male or female name?

Nirvana is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

In which country does Nirvana have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 1.1 thousand people named Nirvana, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled nirvana.

Where is Nirvana most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Nirvana is densest in Guyana — about 1 in 30 thousand people — even though United States holds more of our records for it.

How common is the name Nirvana?

In the United States, the national register counted 1,134 people named Nirvana in 2020, about 1 in 293 thousand residents.