Deepak
A masculine Hindu name meaning "lamp", "light" or "illumination".
Name Census estimates that about 530 living Americans carry the first name Deepak. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Deepak today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Deepak births was 1980 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Deepak. 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
530
~ 1 in 646,706 Americans
Peak year
1980
26 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2013 SSA rank
#7,659
Tracked since 1965
Popularity
Deepak: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Deepak from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 149 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Deepak 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 Deepak during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Deepaks live
Origin
Meaning and history of Deepak
Deepak is a given name of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit words "deep" meaning light, and "anka" meaning a mark or image. It can be translated to mean "lamp" or "light-giver". The name has its roots in the ancient Hindu culture and is believed to have been in use since the Vedic period, which dates back to around 1500 BCE.
The name Deepak has been mentioned in various Hindu scriptures and ancient texts, such as the Vedas and Puranas. It was often associated with the gods and goddesses of light, like Surya, the sun god, and Agni, the god of fire. In these texts, Deepak was used as a metaphor for knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Deepak can be found in the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. It was the name of a character who was a skilled archer and warrior. In the 6th century BCE, a philosopher and scholar named Deepak Rishi is believed to have lived and contributed to the development of Indian philosophy and spirituality.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Deepak. Deepak Chopra, born in 1947, is a renowned author, public speaker, and alternative medicine advocate. He has written numerous books on spirituality, mindfulness, and holistic health. Deepak Mehta, born in 1950, is an acclaimed Indian film director and screenwriter, best known for his Oscar-nominated film "Earth" (1998).
Deepak Parekh, born in 1945, is an influential Indian banker and businessman who served as the chairman of HDFC Bank, one of India's largest private sector banks. Deepak Nayyar, born in 1946, is an Indian economist and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi, known for his contributions to development economics and international political economy.
Deepak Puri, born in 1938, was an Indian diplomat and served as the Indian Ambassador to various countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. He played a crucial role in shaping India's foreign policy during his tenure.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Deepak
People
Deepak + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Deepak as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Deepak: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Deepak?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 530 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Deepak 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 646,706 US residents.
Is Deepak a common name?
We classify Deepak as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 553 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Deepak most popular?
The single biggest year for Deepak was 1980, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Deepak is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Deepak a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Deepak 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.