Girl · #13,316 in 2026

Punam

Name: Popularity of the name Punam in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Punam, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Punam is a 2006 documentary film about nine-year-old girl Punam Tamang from Bhaktapur, Nepal. It was directed and produced by Natasa Urban and Lucian Muntean, a Serbian independent documentary production duo specializing in telling the stories of working children.

Hindi

Current Rank

#13,316

Peak Rank

#7,354 (1987)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1980

First Year

1992

Last Year

1987

Peak Year

#7354

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Punam

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

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

Hindi

The Story of Punam

Punam first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1980, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1987, when 9 Punams were born — ranking #7,354 that year. As of 2026, Punam ranks #13,316 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 55 Punams have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Punam

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

Poonam
Poornima
Purnima

Names that sound like Punam

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

Panem
Penname
Punim
Paynim
Panim
Panam
Pennon
Pinon
Poona
Punan
Bynum
Benumb

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Punam

What does the name Punam mean?

What is the origin of the name Punam?

Punam has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Hindi.

How popular is Punam in 2026?

In 2026, Punam ranks #13,316 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Punam most popular?

Punam reached its peak popularity in 1987, ranking #7,354 that year with 9 babies given the name.

Is Punam a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Punam is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Punam?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Punam include Laria, Taramarie, Kimberlyanne. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Punam?

Common variants and related forms of Punam include Poonam, Poornima, Purnima. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Punam

Punam is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1980 and has accumulated 55 births in the dataset. Punam's peak popularity came in 1987 when it ranked #7,354. Use the chart and map above to compare Punam'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.