Rounak
A Sanskrit masculine name meaning radiant, bright, shining.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Rounak. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rounak today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rounak births was 2000 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rounak. 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 Rounak. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2000
6 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2010 SSA rank
#13,859
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Rounak: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rounak from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 6 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
Rounak 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 Rounak 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 Rounak
Rounak is a given name with origins in the Persian and Urdu languages. It is derived from the Persian word "rounak," which means "light" or "brightness." The name is believed to have originated in ancient Persia, now modern-day Iran, during the time of the Achaemenid Empire, which ruled from around 550 BCE to 330 BCE.
The name Rounak can be traced back to ancient Persian literature and poetry, where it was often used as a metaphor for beauty, radiance, and enlightenment. One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the works of the renowned Persian poet, Rumi, who lived from 1207 to 1273 CE.
In the Islamic world, the name Rounak gained popularity due to its association with light and divine guidance. It is believed that some Muslim families chose this name for their children in the hope that they would bring light and enlightenment to their lives and the world around them.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Rounak. One of the earliest recorded examples is Rounak al-Dawla, a Persian ruler who governed the region of Khorasan in the late 10th century CE. Another prominent figure was Rounak Khatun, a Persian princess and the wife of the Seljuk Sultan Malik Shah I, who ruled from 1072 to 1092 CE.
In the realm of literature, Rounak Husni was a renowned 17th-century Persian poet and calligrapher. His works were widely celebrated for their beauty and elegance. During the 18th century, Rounak Khan was a prominent military leader and statesman in the Mughal Empire, serving under the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb.
In more recent times, Rounak Jain was an Indian social activist and educator who dedicated her life to promoting education and empowerment for women and underprivileged communities. She lived from 1938 to 2022 and was the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her remarkable contributions to society.
People
Rounak + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rounak 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
Rounak: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rounak?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rounak 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Rounak a common name?
We classify Rounak as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rounak most popular?
The single biggest year for Rounak was 2000, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rounak is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Rounak in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rounak a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rounak 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 Rounak still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rounak 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 Rounak 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Rounak?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.