Raju
An Indian masculine given name of Sanskrit origin meaning "king".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Raju. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raju today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raju births was 1972 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raju. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Raju with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Raju. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1972
6 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
1972 SSA rank
#4,845
Tracked since 1972
Census
Raju in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,809 people with the first name Raju, which placed it at #8,105 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,105
National first-name rank
People counted
1.8K
1,809 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
94.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raju
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Raju is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and White (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Raju described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Raju at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.7% · 1,714
- Two or more races1.9% · 34
- White1.8% · 32
- Black or African American0.9% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Popularity
Raju: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Raju 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 Raju during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Raju
The name Raju is of Indian origin, specifically derived from the Sanskrit language. The name has its roots in the ancient Indian subcontinent, dating back to the early medieval period around the 5th century AD.
Raju is a diminutive form of the Sanskrit name Rajendra, which means "king" or "ruler." The name is composed of two Sanskrit words: "Raja" meaning king and "Indra" referring to the king of the devas (gods) in Hindu mythology. Originally, the name was bestowed upon individuals belonging to royal or aristocratic families, signifying their regal lineage and authority.
In Hindu scriptures, the name Raju is mentioned in several ancient texts, including the Puranas and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. One notable reference is found in the Bhagavata Purana, where Raju is described as a devotee of Lord Krishna. The name also appears in various regional folklores and legends across different parts of India, reflecting its widespread use and cultural significance.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Raju can be traced back to the medieval period, particularly in royal dynasties and noble families. Some notable historical figures bearing the name Raju include:
1. Raju Bhoj (1010-1055 AD), a renowned ruler of the Paramara dynasty in central India, known for his patronage of arts, literature, and architecture.
2. Raju Narayana Bhatta (14th century AD), a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet from the Vijayanagara Empire in South India.
3. Raju Quli Khan (17th century AD), a prominent military commander and nobleman during the Mughal Empire in India.
4. Raju Rana (1670-1695 AD), a brave warrior and military leader from the Rajput clan in Rajasthan, India, who fought against the Mughal forces.
5. Raju Shinde (1720-1778 AD), a prominent leader of the Maratha Empire in India, known for his military conquests and territorial expansions.
Throughout history, the name Raju has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including rulers, scholars, warriors, and artists. Its enduring popularity in Indian culture reflects the respect and admiration associated with its regal origins and the aspirations for leadership and authority it represents.
People
Raju + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raju 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
Raju: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raju?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raju 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Raju a common name?
We classify Raju as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raju most popular?
The single biggest year for Raju was 1972, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raju is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Raju in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,809 people with the name Raju, or 0.60 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,105 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Raju in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Raju?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Raju leans strongly male. 1,748 people counted with this name were male (96.4%), compared with 65 female bearers (3.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Raju?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Raju is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and White (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Raju most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Raju in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (1,714 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Raju in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raju a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raju 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.
Is Raju still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raju in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Raju can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How common is the name Raju?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.