Gurinder
A masculine given name of Indian origin meaning "Lord of the Universe".
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Gurinder. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gurinder today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gurinder births was 1999 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gurinder. 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 Gurinder. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
1999
6 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2004 SSA rank
#11,979
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Gurinder: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gurinder from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Gurinder remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gurinder 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 Gurinder 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 Gurinder
The name Gurinder has its origins in the Indian subcontinent and is derived from the Sanskrit words "guru" meaning "teacher" or "master", and "indra" meaning "king" or "lord". It is a name commonly associated with the Sikh faith and culture.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Gurinder can be traced back to the late 15th century, during the time of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. It was common for Sikhs to adopt names that incorporated the word "guru" as a way of honoring their spiritual guides.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Gurinder was Gurinder Singh Dhillon, a Sikh warrior and military commander who lived in the late 17th century. He played a significant role in defending the Sikh community against the Mughal Empire's persecution.
Another prominent individual with this name was Gurinder Chadha, an acclaimed British film director of Indian descent, born in 1960. She is best known for her acclaimed films "Bhaji on the Beach" and "Bend It Like Beckham", which explored themes of cultural identity and gender roles.
In the realm of sports, Gurinder Singh Sandhu, born in 1993, is an Australian cricketer who has represented the national team in Tests and One Day International matches. He is known for his impressive pace and swing bowling abilities.
Gurinder Chadha, a different individual from the filmmaker mentioned earlier, was a British actress and singer of Indian descent, born in 1957. She gained recognition for her roles in several British television series and films in the 1980s and 1990s.
Gurinder Khalsa, born in 1954, is an American entrepreneur and activist. He is the co-founder of Sikhnet, an organization dedicated to promoting Sikh values and teachings worldwide through various media platforms.
While the name Gurinder has its roots in the Sikh tradition, it has also gained popularity among other communities in India and beyond, transcending religious and cultural boundaries.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Gurinder
People
Gurinder + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gurinder 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
Gurinder: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gurinder?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gurinder 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 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Gurinder a common name?
We classify Gurinder as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gurinder most popular?
The single biggest year for Gurinder was 1999, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gurinder is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gurinder a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gurinder 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.