Karthik
Meaning
the everyday short form of Karthikeyan, the god Murugan as lord of the Krittika stars. The th spelling is the Tamil signature (North Indian families write Kartik); ubiquitous for Tamil boys born in the 1980s and 1990s from Chennai to Singapore and Malaysia, and one of the first names Tamil-American parents reach for because every English speaker can say it
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Karthik peaked in the 2000s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.
When you meet Karthik
Most people given the name Karthik in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Karthik deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Karthik truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Karthik fits with your family’s names and surname.
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