Dulani
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "beloved" or "dear one".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Dulani. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dulani today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dulani births was 1973 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dulani. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dulani. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1973
6 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1978 SSA rank
#6,077
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Dulani: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Dulani 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 Dulani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Dulani
The name Dulani has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically from the Sanskrit language. It is a combination of two Sanskrit words, "du" meaning "difficult" and "lani" meaning "to obtain" or "to acquire". The name Dulani can be interpreted to mean "one who is hard to attain" or "difficult to obtain".
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, the name Dulani is associated with beauty, grace, and devotion. It is believed to have been used to describe the qualities of various Hindu goddesses, particularly those associated with love, beauty, and fertility.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Dulani can be found in the Sanskrit epic poem, the Mahabharata. Here, Dulani is mentioned as the name of a celestial nymph known for her exceptional beauty and charm.
Throughout history, the name Dulani has been borne by several notable individuals. One such person was Dulani Devi (1675-1741), a powerful queen and ruler of the Garhwal Kingdom in present-day Uttarakhand, India. She is remembered for her strong leadership and for successfully defending her kingdom against numerous invasions.
Another famous Dulani was Dulani Amma (1850-1928), a revered Tamil poet and scholar from southern India. Her works were widely celebrated for their depth, eloquence, and spiritual insights.
In the field of dance, Dulani Raman (1906-1986) was a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She played a pivotal role in popularizing and preserving the Bharatanatyam dance form, which originated in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Dulani Jayasuriya (born 1959) is a Sri Lankan academic and author who has written extensively on South Asian literature and culture. Her contributions to the field of postcolonial studies have been widely recognized.
Lastly, Dulani Anuradha (born 1978) is a popular Sri Lankan actress and television personality. She has appeared in numerous films and television series, and is known for her versatile acting skills and her philanthropic work.
People
Dulani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dulani 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
Dulani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dulani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dulani 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Dulani a common name?
We classify Dulani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dulani most popular?
The single biggest year for Dulani was 1973, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dulani is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dulani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dulani a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dulani 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.
Is Dulani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dulani in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dulani can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Dulani?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Dulani on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.