Gurneet
A name of Punjabi/Hindu origin meaning "through the Guru's grace."
Name Census estimates that about 62 living Americans carry the first name Gurneet. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gurneet today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gurneet births was 2005 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gurneet. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gurneet with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gurneet. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
62
~ 1 in 5,528,296 Americans
Peak year
2005
9 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,917
Tracked since 2001
Census
Gurneet in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 193 people with the first name Gurneet, which placed it at #39,252 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#39,252
National first-name rank
People counted
193
193 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
94.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gurneet
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gurneet is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (1.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gurneet described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gurneet at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.8% · 183
- White2.6% · 5
- Black or African American1.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 2
Popularity
Gurneet: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gurneet from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 36 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Gurneet remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gurneet 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 Gurneet during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gurneets live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gurneet
Gurneet is a gender-neutral name of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit language. It is a compound name composed of two words: "Gur" meaning "teacher or spiritual guide" and "Neet" meaning "morality or ethics." The name Gurneet essentially translates to "one who follows the teachings or moral principles of their guru or spiritual guide."
The name Gurneet traces its roots back to the ancient Indian spiritual traditions, particularly those associated with the Sikh faith. The concept of a guru, or spiritual teacher, holds great significance in Sikhism, and names like Gurneet reflect the reverence for such figures and the values they imparted. It is believed that the name Gurneet gained popularity among the Sikh community during the medieval period, as a way to honor and express devotion to the Sikh Gurus.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gurneet can be found in the 17th century, during the era of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and final human Guru of the Sikh faith. Guru Gobind Singh is said to have bestowed the name Gurneet upon some of his devoted followers, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the teachings and principles of the Sikh Gurus.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gurneet, including:
1. Gurneet Dosanjh (born 1990), a Canadian actress known for her roles in films and television shows like "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and "The 100."
2. Gurneet Singh (born 1997), an Indian cricketer who represents Punjab in domestic cricket tournaments.
3. Gurneet Bhatia (born 1989), an Indian fashion designer and entrepreneur, known for her eponymous clothing label.
4. Gurneet Kaur (born 1995), an Indian weightlifter who has represented India at various international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games.
5. Gurneet Arora (born 1987), an Indian actor and model, best known for his roles in television shows like "Kasamh Se" and "Dil Se Di Dua... Saubhagyavati Bhava?"
While the name Gurneet has its origins in the Sikh tradition, it has also gained popularity among other communities in India and beyond, transcending religious boundaries. The name's meaning and significance, however, remain deeply rooted in the spiritual and ethical values associated with the concept of a guru and the teachings they impart.
People
Gurneet + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gurneet 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
Gurneet: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gurneet?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 62 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gurneet 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 5,528,296 US residents.
Is Gurneet a common name?
We classify Gurneet as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 63 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gurneet most popular?
The single biggest year for Gurneet was 2005, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gurneet is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gurneet in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 193 people with the name Gurneet, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #39,252 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gurneet in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gurneet?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Gurneet on both sides of the split. Of the 187 people counted with this name, 38 were male (20.3%) and 149 were female (79.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gurneet?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gurneet is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Black (1.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gurneet most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Gurneet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (183 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Gurneet in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gurneet a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gurneet in the SSA data are female. 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 Gurneet still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gurneet 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 Gurneet 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.
How many people have Gurneet as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.