Param
Of Hindi origin meaning supreme or transcendent.
Name Census estimates that about 444 living Americans carry the first name Param. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Param today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Param births was 2017 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Param. 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
444
~ 1 in 771,969 Americans
Peak year
2017
36 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,820
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Param: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Param 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 220 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Param remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Param 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 Param during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Params live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New Jersey, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Param, while Georgia, California, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Param
The name Param is derived from the Sanskrit language, which originated in ancient India around the 2nd millennium BCE. It is a masculine name with roots in the Sanskrit word "parama," meaning supreme, ultimate, or transcendent.
In Hindu philosophy and religious texts, the term "Param" is often used to refer to the ultimate reality, the highest truth, or the supreme being. It is associated with concepts of enlightenment, spiritual transcendence, and the attainment of divine knowledge.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Param can be found in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, where it appears as a name of one of the Pandava brothers. This ancient text, which dates back to around the 8th century BCE, is a significant part of Hindu mythology and literature.
Throughout history, the name Param has been borne by several notable figures, including Param Anand (1921-2002), an Indian freedom fighter and politician who played a significant role in the struggle for India's independence. Another prominent individual was Param Vir Chakra (1919-1947), an Indian military officer who received India's highest military honor for his bravery during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.
In the realm of spirituality, Param Hans Dayal (1909-1971) was a renowned Indian spiritual teacher and mystic who founded the Radha Soami Satsang Beas movement. Param Pujya Sant Hirdaram Sahib (1889-1918) was another influential spiritual leader and reformer from the Sindhi community in India.
Moving to more recent times, Param Cumaraswamy (1930-2018) was a renowned Indian-American economist and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of development economics and environmental ethics.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Param throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human experiences and achievements.
People
Param + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Param as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Param: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Param?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 444 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Param 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 771,969 US residents.
Is Param a common name?
We classify Param 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, 448 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Param most popular?
The single biggest year for Param was 2017, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Param is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Param a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Param 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.