Gautham
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "endowed with cattle".
Name Census estimates that about 443 living Americans carry the first name Gautham. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gautham today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gautham births was 2015 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gautham. 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
443
~ 1 in 773,712 Americans
Peak year
2015
34 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,342
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Gautham: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gautham from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 243 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gautham 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 Gautham during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gauthams live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Gautham, while New Jersey, Illinois, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gautham
The name Gautham is a Sanskrit name that originated in ancient India, believed to have derived from the word "Gautama," which means "descendant of the sage Gotama." The sage Gautama was a renowned figure in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, known for his philosophical teachings and spiritual wisdom.
The earliest recorded use of the name Gautham can be traced back to the Vedic period, where it was associated with various saints, sages, and scholars. One of the most notable figures in history bearing this name was Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, who lived approximately between 563 BCE and 483 BCE. He was born as Siddhartha Gautama in the Lumbini region of present-day Nepal.
In Hindu scriptures, such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas, the name Gautham is mentioned in connection with several important figures, including Gautama Maharishi, a renowned sage and author of the Nyaya Sutras, a foundational text on logic and philosophy.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gautham. One of the earliest examples is Gautama Akshapada, an Indian philosopher and logician who lived around the 5th century BCE and was a proponent of the Nyaya school of Indian philosophy.
Another famous figure with the name Gautham was Gautama Siddhartha, also known as Gautama Buddha, the spiritual teacher whose teachings formed the basis of Buddhism. He is widely revered across Asia and credited with introducing the concepts of the Middle Way and the Four Noble Truths.
In more recent times, Gautham Gambhir, an Indian cricketer born in 1981, achieved fame for his contributions to the Indian national cricket team, including his pivotal role in India's victory in the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Gautham Menon, born in 1974, is a renowned Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who has made significant contributions to the Tamil film industry, known for his critically acclaimed movies such as "Vaaranam Aayiram" and "Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa."
Gautham Vasudev Menon, born in 1976, is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who has worked in various languages, including Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. He is known for his roles in films like "Vaaranam Aayiram" and "Yennai Arindhaal."
People
Gautham + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gautham as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gautham: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gautham?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 443 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gautham 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 773,712 US residents.
Is Gautham a common name?
We classify Gautham as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 447 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gautham most popular?
The single biggest year for Gautham was 2015, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gautham is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gautham a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gautham 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.