Veeraj
A masculine Hindu name derived from Sanskrit meaning "courageous lord".
Name Census estimates that about 43 living Americans carry the first name Veeraj. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Veeraj today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Veeraj births was 2018 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Veeraj. 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 Veeraj with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Veeraj. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
43
~ 1 in 7,971,031 Americans
Peak year
2018
9 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,138
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Veeraj: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Veeraj from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 31 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Veeraj remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Veeraj 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 Veeraj 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 Veeraj
The name Veeraj has its roots in the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is a combination of two words, "Veer" meaning brave or courageous, and "Raj" meaning king or ruler. The name can be traced back to the Vedic period, around 1500-500 BCE, when Sanskrit was the predominant language used in religious texts and literature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Veeraj can be found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, written between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE. In this epic, Veeraj was the name of a mighty warrior who fought alongside the Pandavas in the great battle of Kurukshetra. His bravery and valor were celebrated throughout the text.
During the medieval period, between the 6th and 16th centuries CE, the name Veeraj gained popularity among the ruling classes of various Indian kingdoms. Several notable kings and princes bore this name, including Veeraj Singh, a Rajput ruler of the Pratihara dynasty in the 9th century CE, and Veeraj Deo, a king of the Bundela dynasty in the 16th century CE.
As the Indian subcontinent came under the influence of various foreign rulers, the name Veeraj also found its way into other cultures and languages. In the 17th century, there was a Persian scholar and poet named Veeraj Khan, who authored several works on philosophy and mysticism.
In more recent times, the name Veeraj has been carried by several prominent individuals. Veeraj Bahl (1900-1985) was a renowned Indian journalist and editor who played a significant role in the country's independence movement. Veeraj Patel (1930-2003) was an Indian cricketer who represented the national team in the 1950s and later served as a selector and administrator.
Another notable figure was Veeraj Anand (1928-2004), an Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as the ambassador to several countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union. Veeraj Khanna (1946-2021) was a celebrated Indian classical vocalist and Padma Shri awardee, known for his contributions to the Hindustani music tradition.
The name Veeraj continues to be popular in various parts of India, particularly among Hindu communities. Its rich historical significance and association with bravery and leadership have made it a cherished choice for parents.
People
Veeraj + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Veeraj as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Veeraj: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Veeraj?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 43 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Veeraj 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 7,971,031 US residents.
Is Veeraj a common name?
We classify Veeraj as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 43 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Veeraj most popular?
The single biggest year for Veeraj was 2018, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Veeraj is about 8 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 Veeraj in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Veeraj a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Veeraj 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 Veeraj still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Veeraj 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 Veeraj 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 common is the name Veeraj?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Veeraj at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.