Bharat
An Indian name meaning "sustained or cherished" in Sanskrit.
Name Census estimates that about 173 living Americans carry the first name Bharat. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bharat today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bharat births was 1997 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bharat. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
173
~ 1 in 1,981,239 Americans
Peak year
1997
15 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2009 SSA rank
#8,374
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Bharat: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bharat from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 62 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bharat by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bharat during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bharat
The name Bharat is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Bharata', which has its roots in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. This Sanskrit word is believed to have originated from the phrase 'Bha-ratham', which means 'to be maintained'. The name is closely associated with the Indian subcontinent and has been in use for centuries.
The Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, mentions the name Bharata as a prominent character. According to the epic, Bharata was the son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala, and he later went on to become the ruler of a vast empire. The name Bharata is also found in the Puranas, which are ancient Hindu texts that narrate stories related to deities and kings.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Bharat can be found in the Rig Veda, one of the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, which dates back to around 1500-1200 BCE. The Rig Veda mentions a person named Bharata, who was believed to be a renowned teacher and sage during that time.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Bharat. One of the most famous was Bharat Muni (c. 7th century BCE), a renowned Indian philosopher and grammarian who wrote the celebrated work 'Natyashastra', which is considered to be one of the earliest treatises on the performing arts.
Another notable figure was Bharat Natyam (c. 1st century BCE), who is credited with codifying the classical Indian dance form of the same name. This dance form, which originated in the southern part of India, is still widely practiced and celebrated today.
In more recent history, Bharat Ratna (1876-1958), an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer, played a significant role in the country's independence movement. He was awarded the highest civilian honor in India, the Bharat Ratna, for his contributions.
Maharaja Bharat Singh (1776-1853), the ruler of the princely state of Bharatpur in India, is also remembered for his bravery and military prowess. He successfully defended his kingdom against the British East India Company during the Anglo-Bharatpur Wars in the early 19th century.
Bharat Vyas (1901-1978), an Indian writer and journalist, is revered for his contributions to Hindi literature. He wrote several novels, short stories, and plays that explored social issues and portrayed the lives of ordinary people in India.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Bharat
People
Bharat + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bharat as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bharat: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bharat?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 173 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bharat going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,981,239 US residents.
Is Bharat a common name?
We classify Bharat as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 178 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bharat most popular?
The single biggest year for Bharat was 1997, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bharat is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bharat a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bharat in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.