Raam
A masculine Hindu name of Sanskrit origin meaning "pleasing" or "charming".
Name Census estimates that about 104 living Americans carry the first name Raam. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raam today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raam births was 2024 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raam. 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
104
~ 1 in 3,295,715 Americans
Peak year
2024
17 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,585
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Raam: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raam from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 58 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
Raam 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 Raam during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raams live
Origin
Meaning and history of Raam
The name Raam has its origins in the Sanskrit language, one of the oldest and most influential languages of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "rama," which means "pleasing" or "delightful." The name traces its roots back to ancient Hindu mythology and is closely associated with the revered deity, Lord Rama, who is a central figure in the epic Ramayana.
The Ramayana is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, composed around the 5th century BCE. It recounts the journey of Prince Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his quest to rescue his wife Sita from the clutches of the demon king Ravana. The name Raam has thus been imbued with a deep spiritual and cultural significance in the Hindu tradition.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals to bear the name Raam was Rama himself, the protagonist of the Ramayana. Although a mythological figure, Rama is revered as an ideal man and a righteous ruler, and his name has been adopted by generations of Hindus for their sons.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Raam. In the 16th century, Raam Rai was a renowned Indian poet and scholar who composed works in the Awadhi language. His poetry reflected his deep devotion to Lord Rama and his teachings.
Another notable figure was Raam Prasad Bismil, an Indian revolutionary who fought against British colonial rule in the early 20th century. He was a prominent member of the Hindustan Republican Association and was executed by the British in 1927 for his role in the Kakori Train Robbery.
In the field of music, Raam Narayan was a celebrated Indian sarod player and composer who made significant contributions to Hindustani classical music in the 20th century. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honor, in 1998.
Moving to more recent times, Raam Reddy is an Indian film director and screenwriter best known for his critically acclaimed film "Thithi" (2015), which won numerous awards at international film festivals.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Raam throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of the Indian subcontinent and beyond.
People
Raam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raam as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Raam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 104 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raam 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 3,295,715 US residents.
Is Raam a common name?
We classify Raam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 105 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raam most popular?
The single biggest year for Raam was 2024, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raam is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Raam a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raam 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.