Karthik

Meaning & origin

Karthik is a masculine name of Sanskrit origin, deeply rooted in Hindu tradition. Although its first recorded use in U.S. Social Security data dates to 1977, the name has been customary in South Asia for centuries. Its popularity in the United States peaked in 2010, when the name reached rank 2914. Since 2011, usage has been gently declining, demonstrating the pattern of a name that steadily gained through the late 1900s and early 2000s before starting a slight downward trajectory. The name's association with the deity Kartikeya and the auspicious month of Kartik gives it cultural weight. With a 1-in-85,404 occurrence rate in 2025, Karthik remains a recognizable yet distinctive choice, particularly in states with large Indian-American communities, as reflected by being most used in Texas. While it is a staple within Hindu families, the name's straightforward pronunciation and spelling have helped it cross over into broader usage.

Karthik (also spelled Kartik) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Karttika' or 'Krittika', referring to the Pleiades star cluster. In Hindu mythology, Karthik is Kartikeya, the son of Shiva and Parvati, born from Shiva's third eye to defeat the demon Tarakasura. The name is also associated with the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar, a lunar month considered auspicious. It has been widely used across India and among the Indian diaspora.