Viren
A Hindu masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "brave, valiant, heroic".
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the first name Viren. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Viren today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Viren births was 2012 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Viren. 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
252
~ 1 in 1,360,136 Americans
Peak year
2012
17 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,683
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Viren: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Viren from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 123 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Viren remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Viren 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 Viren during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Virens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Viren
The name Viren is of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "vira" meaning "brave" or "heroic." This name has its roots in ancient Hindu culture and can be traced back to the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Viren can be found in the epic Hindu text, the Mahabharata. In this ancient Sanskrit scripture, Viren is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought bravely in the great Battle of Kurukshetra.
During the medieval period in India, the name Viren gained popularity among the warrior classes and nobility. It was often given to sons with the hope that they would grow up to be valiant and courageous individuals.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Viren. One of the most famous was Viren Shah (1020-1094), a renowned military commander from the Solanki dynasty of Gujarat, India. He was known for his strategic brilliance and leadership on the battlefield.
Another notable Viren was Viren Mukherjee (1891-1958), an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who played a significant role in the country's independence movement against British colonial rule. He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and worked tirelessly for the upliftment of the underprivileged.
In more recent times, Viren Rasquinha (born 1979) is a former Indian field hockey player who captained the national team and won numerous international tournaments, including the Asia Cup and the Champions Trophy.
Viren Khanna (born 1967) is an Indian American businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded the successful software company Augnition. He has been recognized for his contributions to the technology industry and has been featured in various business publications.
Viren Khurana (born 1974) is an Indian classical vocalist and composer, renowned for his expertise in the Khayal and Thumri styles of Hindustani music. He has performed at prestigious venues around the world and has received numerous awards and accolades for his artistic excellence.
People
Viren + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Viren 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
Viren: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Viren?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 252 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Viren 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 1,360,136 US residents.
Is Viren a common name?
We classify Viren as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 255 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Viren most popular?
The single biggest year for Viren was 2012, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Viren is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Viren a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Viren 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.