Find out how popular the first name Kumar has been for the last 45 years (from 1975 to 2019) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Kumar by gender

Based on the last 45 years of data, Kumar is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2019, there were 7 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Kumar.

The history of the first name Kumar

The name Kumar has its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is derived from the word "Kumara," which means "prince" or "boy." The name gained prominence during the classical period of Indian history, between the 3rd century BCE and the 8th century CE.

Kumar is a title that was historically bestowed upon princes or young men of noble birth. It was often used as an honorific prefix before the given name of a prince or a member of the ruling class. In ancient Hindu scriptures and epic tales, such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, the name Kumar is associated with various characters of royal lineage.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kumar can be found in the Rigveda, a collection of ancient Vedic Sanskrit hymns composed between 1500 and 1000 BCE. In the Rigveda, the name is mentioned in the context of describing a young and valiant warrior.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kumar. One of the most famous was Kumar Sambhava, an 8th-century Indian philosopher and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of logic and epistemology. Another prominent figure was Kumar Gupta I, a powerful ruler of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE, known for his military conquests and patronage of the arts and literature.

During the medieval period, the name Kumar was associated with several influential rulers and warriors. Kumar Devi, a 15th-century queen of the Vijayanagara Empire, was renowned for her courage and leadership on the battlefield. Kumar Pal, a 9th-century king of the Pala Empire in Bengal, was a patron of Buddhism and an accomplished scholar.

In more recent times, the name Kumar has been carried by notable personalities such as Kumar Gandharva, a celebrated Indian classical singer and musician who lived from 1924 to 1992. Kumar Bhattacharyya, born in 1940, is an acclaimed Indian statistician and the founder of the field of random dynamical systems.

While the name Kumar has its roots in ancient India, it has transcended cultural boundaries and is now used by people of diverse backgrounds around the world, particularly in regions with strong historical and cultural ties to the Indian subcontinent.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Kumar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kumar, please contact us.

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