Preet
A name of Sanskrit origin meaning love, affection, or desire.
Name Census estimates that about 233 living Americans carry the first name Preet. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 62.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Preet today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Preet births was 2008 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Preet. 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
233
~ 1 in 1,471,049 Americans
Peak year
2008
21 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2017 SSA rank
#10,504
Tracked since 1992
Gender
Gender distribution for Preet
Preet is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 236 total registrations, 148 (62.7%) were male and 88 (37.3%) were female.
Preet as a male name
- Ranked #10,504 in 2017
- 7 male births in 2017
- Peak: 2000 (13 births)
Preet as a female name
- Ranked #15,484 in 2017
- 6 female births in 2017
- Peak: 2011 (10 births)
Popularity
Preet: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Preet from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 103 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Preet 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 Preet during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Preets live
Origin
Meaning and history of Preet
The name Preet has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was the classical language of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "priya," meaning "beloved" or "dear." The name can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, where it was often used as a term of endearment.
In the Vedas, which are the oldest Hindu scriptures, the name Preet is mentioned in various hymns and mantras. One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Rigveda, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism, composed around 1500-1200 BCE.
Throughout the centuries, the name Preet has been borne by several notable figures in Indian history. One of the most famous was Preet Singh (1690-1734), a prominent military leader and warrior in the Sikh Empire during the early 18th century. He played a crucial role in the expansion of the Sikh Empire under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Another historical figure with the name Preet was Preet Narain (1715-1775), a renowned poet and writer from the Mughal era. He was known for his contributions to Hindi literature and his works, which often celebrated love and devotion.
In more recent times, Preet Bharara (born 1968) is a former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, known for his high-profile cases against Wall Street executives and corruption.
Preet Kaur Gill (born 1972) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston since 2017. She is the first female Sikh MP in the UK Parliament.
Preet Kamal Kaur (born 1958) is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, known for her contributions to the Bharatanatyam dance form. She has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Padma Shri award from the Government of India.
The name Preet continues to be popular among people of Indian descent, particularly in the Sikh and Hindu communities, as it represents a sense of love, affection, and endearment.
People
Preet + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Preet 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
Preet: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Preet?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 233 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Preet 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 1,471,049 US residents.
Is Preet a common name?
We classify Preet as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 236 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Preet most popular?
The single biggest year for Preet was 2008, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Preet is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Preet a male name?
Yes, 62.7% of people registered as Preet 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.