Boy · #9,752 in 2026

Kumar

Kumar is a name with multiple cultural origins: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Nepali.

  • Hindi
  • Marathi
  • Bengali
  • Assamese
Current Rank
#9,752
Peak Rank
#4,872 (1998)
Total Babies
305
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1972
First Year
2019
Last Year
1998
Peak Year
#4872
Peak Rank
305
Total Count
39
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kumar

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Kumar is a name with multiple cultural origins: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Nepali.

Origin data from Behind the Name .

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Hindi
  • Marathi
  • Bengali
  • Assamese
  • Odia
  • Gujarati
  • Punjabi
  • Tamil
  • Telugu
  • Malayalam
  • Kannada
  • Nepali

The Story of Kumar

American parents first put Kumar on the record books as a baby boy name in 1972, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1998, when 13 Kumars were born — ranking #4,872 that year. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 25% of all recorded Kumars. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2019 (7 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 305 Kumars have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Kumar

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Kumar. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Kumaran

Names that sound like Kumar

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kumar is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kumar

What does the name Kumar mean?
Kumar is a name with multiple cultural origins: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Nepali.
What is the origin of the name Kumar?
Kumar has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Nepali.
How popular is Kumar in 2026?
In 2026, Kumar ranks #9,752 among boys' names in the U.S., with 7 babies given the name that year.
When was Kumar most popular?
Kumar reached its peak popularity in 1998, ranking #4,872 that year with 13 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kumar most popular?
Kumar has historically been most popular in New York. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kumar.
Is Kumar a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Kumar is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Kumar?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kumar include Nicasio, Osamah, Johnjoseph. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Kumar?
Common variants and related forms of Kumar include Kumaran. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Kumar

Kumar is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1972 and has accumulated 305 births in the dataset. Kumar's peak popularity came in 1998 when it ranked #4,872. Use the chart and map above to compare Kumar's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.