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Home › Baby Names Directory › Madhav

Madhav

♂ Boy

Pronounced MAH-dhuv /ˈmɑ.dʱʌv/Medium

Meaning: Descendant of Madhu — madhu meaning 'honey, sweet' — an epithet of Krishna also linked to springHigh

In 30 seconds: Krishna by his honeyed title: Madhav means 'of Madhu's line' — sweetness genealogized — and doubles as a name for spring. Temples and tech campuses both answer to it.
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Origin HighSanskrit, Indian
MeaningDescendant of Madhu — madhu meaning 'honey, sweet' — an epithet of Krishna also linked to spring
U.S. rank (2024)#3422 ↘ Falling
2024 U.S. births34 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2023
Total births (all-time)≈ 608

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202319922024

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Madhav (Madhava) is an epithet of Krishna — 'descendant of Madhu', the honey-named Yadava ancestor — and a classical word for the spring month. Hindu devotion sings it in bhajans; history offers the philosopher Madhvacharya's circle and Maratha statesmen named Madhavrao.

Modern India keeps it current from cricket to cinema; U.S. use is rare and Indian-American. Sweetness with scriptural depth.

Did you know? The Sanskrit madhu inside Madhav is a true cousin of English 'mead' — honey-sweetness preserved across five thousand years of Indo-European.
Overall data confidence 88%
Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary — madhava — epithet meaning

Variations

MadhavaMadhavanMaadhav

Nicknames

MadhuMads

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Madhav…

Keshav— a fellow Krishna-epithet name of the same shape
Krish— the modern short Krishna favorite
Raghav— the companion epic -av classic (Rama's line)
Pranav— lands in the same popularity range
Kairav— a fellow Sanskrit choice

Explore names like Madhav

By themesanskrithindudevotional

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Madhav mean?

Madhav means 'descendant of Madhu' — madhu being 'honey' — an epithet of Krishna also associated with spring.

How do you pronounce Madhav?

It's said MAH-dhuv /ˈmɑ.dʱʌv/ — two syllables, stress on the first, with a soft aspirated dh.

Is Madhav a boy or girl name?

Madhav is a boy's name.

How popular is Madhav?

Madhav is rare in the U.S. and classic in India.

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