Pranshu
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "worthy of praise".
Name Census estimates that about 83 living Americans carry the first name Pranshu. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Pranshu today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pranshu births was 2010 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pranshu. 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 Pranshu. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
83
~ 1 in 4,129,570 Americans
Peak year
2010
10 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,944
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Pranshu: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pranshu from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 42 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Pranshu remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pranshu 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 Pranshu 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 Pranshu
The name Pranshu is believed to have originated in India, where it is a Hindu name of Sanskrit origin. The name's etymology can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "Pransu," which means "ray" or "beam of light." This suggests that the name Pranshu was initially associated with radiance, brightness, or illumination.
In ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, there are references to various deities and celestial beings whose names were derived from the root word "Pransu." This indicates that the name Pranshu may have held spiritual or mythological significance in ancient Indian culture.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Pranshu can be found in historical records and literature from the medieval period in India. One notable figure from this era was Pranshu Das, a 16th-century poet and scholar from the Bengal region who contributed significantly to the development of Bengali literature.
Throughout history, several individuals have borne the name Pranshu, although their exact birth and death dates may not be well-documented in all cases. One prominent figure was Pranshu Ranjan Das (1880-1920), a renowned Indian writer and literary critic from Bengal who played a crucial role in the Bengali Renaissance.
Another historical figure of note was Pranshu Kumar Mukherjee (1890-1957), an Indian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and was instrumental in drafting the country's constitution.
In the realm of art and culture, Pranshu Banerjee (1915-1994) was a celebrated Indian painter and sculptor known for his distinctive style and contributions to the modern art movement in India.
Pranshu Choudhury (1924-2008) was a prominent Indian journalist and author who worked for several leading publications and was recognized for his incisive writing on socio-political issues.
Pranshu Sharma (born 1980) is a contemporary Indian actor and model who has appeared in numerous Bollywood films and television shows, gaining recognition for his versatile performances.
The name Pranshu, with its roots in ancient Sanskrit and its association with radiance and enlightenment, has left an indelible mark on Indian history and culture. Its rich heritage and the notable individuals who have carried this name have contributed to its enduring presence and significance.
People
Pranshu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pranshu 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
Pranshu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pranshu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 83 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pranshu 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 4,129,570 US residents.
Is Pranshu a common name?
We classify Pranshu as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 84 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pranshu most popular?
The single biggest year for Pranshu was 2010, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pranshu is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pranshu a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pranshu 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.