Shiva
Shiva is classified as a unisex given name in our dataset. A first name alone does not establish someone’s gender or preferred form of address.
Confidence describes the weight of the source data, not a measured accuracy rate.
This name is used for both men and women without a strong lean either way.
- Verdict
- Unisex
- Confidence
- Medium (source weight 8 to 63; not an accuracy rate)
- High source frequency in
- United States, Arabic and Persian countries, India and Sri Lanka
- US records 1880–2017
- 397 male / 249 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Dataset built
- 2026-09-11
How to address Shiva
If you do not know Shiva’s preferred form of address, use a greeting without Mr or Ms: “Dear Shiva,” in English, “Guten Tag Shiva,” in German. Include their family name if you know it. The name’s classification describes its usage. Follow the form of address the person uses for themselves.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Shiva,
German
Guten Tag Shiva,
French
Bonjour Shiva,
Spanish
Estimado/a Shiva:
Chinese
Shiva您好：
Japanese
Shiva様
English
Hi Shiva,
German
Hi Shiva,
French
Salut Shiva,
Spanish
Hola Shiva,
Chinese
Shiva你好：
Japanese
Shivaさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually |
|---|---|---|
| United States | uncommon | unisex name |
| Arabic and Persian countries | rare | woman's name |
| India and Sri Lanka | rare | man's name |
United States birth data
397 male · 249 female · 646 births recorded
Records from 1980–2017: 64.3% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shiva a male or female name?
Shiva is classified as a unisex given name in our dataset. A first name alone does not establish someone’s gender or preferred form of address.
How do I address Shiva in an email?
If you do not know Shiva’s preferred form of address, use a greeting without Mr or Ms: “Dear Shiva,” in English, “Guten Tag Shiva,” in German. Include their family name if you know it. The name’s classification describes its usage. Follow the form of address the person uses for themselves.
Is Shiva a unisex name?
Shiva is classified as a unisex name in our dataset. This does not establish a 50:50 population split. The country table shows the individual source classifications.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data (1880–2017), public domain. Classifications are not measured accuracy rates. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. US source data (babynames). Dataset built 2026-09-11; this is not a new collection date for the source records.
DearWho, "Is Shiva a male or female name?", https://www.dearwho.app/name/shiva. Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_shiva,
title = {Is Shiva a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.dearwho.app/name/shiva},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}