Karanbir
A masculine Hindu name derived from Sanskrit meaning "rainer of virtues".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Karanbir. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Karanbir today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karanbir births was 2003 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karanbir. 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 Karanbir with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Karanbir. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2003
5 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2003 SSA rank
#11,833
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Karanbir: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Karanbir 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 Karanbir during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Karanbir
Karanbir is a name of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit language. It is a compound name formed by combining the words "Karan" and "Bir". The word "Karan" means "deed" or "action", while "Bir" signifies "brave" or "courageous". Therefore, the name Karanbir can be interpreted as "one who performs brave deeds" or "one who is courageous in action".
The earliest known references to the name Karanbir can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts. It is mentioned in the Puranas, a collection of ancient Indian literature that narrates the histories of the universe and various Hindu deities. The name is also found in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, dating back to around the 8th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Karanbir was a renowned warrior and military commander who lived during the reign of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BCE. He is known for his valiant efforts in defending the empire against foreign invaders and his unwavering loyalty to the Mauryan king, Ashoka.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Karanbir. Karanbir Singh (1915-1983), was an Indian field hockey player who represented the country in the 1936 and 1948 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal in 1948. Karanbir Kang (1933-2011) was a celebrated Indian film director and screenwriter, known for his contributions to Punjabi cinema.
Another notable Karanbir was Karanbir Singh Anand (1937-2009), a renowned Indian writer, and journalist who received the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1976 for his contributions to Punjabi literature. Karanbir Kaur (born 1989) is a contemporary Indian archer who has won numerous medals at international competitions, including a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Karanbir Singh Bhullar (born 1988) is a professional golfer from India who has won several tournaments on the Asian Tour and represented his country in various international events. These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Karanbir, each leaving their mark in various fields and professions.
People
Karanbir + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karanbir as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karanbir: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karanbir?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karanbir 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Karanbir a common name?
We classify Karanbir as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karanbir most popular?
The single biggest year for Karanbir was 2003, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karanbir is about 23 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 Karanbir in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Karanbir a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karanbir 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 Karanbir still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Karanbir 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 Karanbir 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 common is the name Karanbir?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.