Fun Facts About the Name Amaru
- More than 1 thousand babies named Amaru: U.S. records list 1,023 babies given the name Amaru from 1880 through 2025. Even 40 girls received the name Amaru - about 1 girl for every 25 boys.
What Does the Name Amaru Mean?
Amaru comes from Quechua, the Indigenous language family of the central Andes, and its established meaning is "serpent" or "snake." In Quechua the word refers specifically to the great mythical serpent of Andean tradition, a being associated with the underworld, Uku Pacha, in the three-part Andean cosmos that also includes the puma and the condor. The literal sense is simply "snake"; the larger symbolic weight, the serpent as a force of the underworld and of water, is a cultural interpretation built on that literal meaning.
A separate Amaru is the name of the Sanskrit poet to whom the Amaruśataka, an anthology of love verse, is attributed. The meaning of that poet's name is uncertain. It is sometimes connected to Sanskrit amara, "immortal," but no secure derivation has been established, and the Sanskrit and Quechua names should not be assumed to share an origin.
Amaru Name History & Origins
The Quechua word amaru was recorded by Spanish colonial writers and missionaries in the Andes, who compiled dictionaries of Quechua and described the serpent as both a real animal and a mythic being. It entered colonial documents as part of personal names, most famously that of Túpac Amaru, the last ruler of the Inca state based at Vilcabamba, who was captured and executed by Spanish forces in 1572. The element tupac is commonly glossed as "royal" or "splendid," so the full name is often rendered "royal serpent," though that reading rests on customary interpretation.
In 1780 José Gabriel Condorcanqui, a local chief of Tinta in the Peruvian highlands who claimed descent from that earlier ruler, took the name Túpac Amaru II and led a large uprising against Spanish colonial authority. His name turned the serpent element into a political symbol, and later Andean and Indigenous movements, including a Peruvian guerrilla group of the 1980s, have invoked Túpac Amaru. Alongside this famous use, Amaru has remained a given name in Quechua-speaking regions of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, and it appears in Andean place names as well.
The Sanskrit poet Amaru, by contrast, is known only through the anthology attributed to him, which was quoted and commented on by later Sanskrit writers. Nothing reliable connects that literary figure to the Andean name, and the two traditions are best kept apart.
How Popular is the Name Amaru?
Amaru has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2021. Its best rank was #2,253 in 2021.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,897 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #12,202 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #10,354 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #15,415 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #11,421 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,390 | 57 | 0.0033% |
| 2024 | #2,365 | 59 | 0.0034% |
| 2023 | #2,386 | 57 | 0.0033% |
| 2022 | #2,753 | 47 | 0.0027% |
| 2021 | #2,253 | 62 | 0.0035% |
| 2020 | #2,292 | 59 | 0.0034% |
| 2019 | #2,698 | 47 | 0.0026% |
| 2018 | #2,994 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2017 | #3,128 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2016 | #3,686 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2015 | #3,989 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #4,140 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2013 | #3,189 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2012 | #3,060 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2011 | #3,514 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2010 | #3,998 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2009 | #3,838 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2008 | #5,499 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #4,246 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #4,005 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2005 | #3,454 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2004 | #2,698 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 2003 | #3,122 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 2002 | #3,793 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2001 | #5,152 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #5,597 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1999 | #4,163 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1998 | #3,194 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1997 | #2,550 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1996 | #7,163 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Amaru Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Amaru's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Amaru's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.