Fun Facts About the Name Rama
- More than 1 thousand babies named Rama: U.S. records list 1,406 babies given the name Rama from 1880 through 2025. Even 276 boys received the name Rama - about 1 boy for every 4 girls.
What Does the Name Rama Mean?
Rama is a Sanskrit name meaning "pleasing," "charming," or "delightful." It comes from the Sanskrit adjective rāma-, written राम in Devanagari, which is connected with the verb root ram-, "to rejoice," "to be pleased," or "to delight in." The literal sense is descriptive: someone or something that pleases or delights.
A separate Sanskrit word rāma- is glossed as "dark" or "dark-colored." It is a homonym, and its relation to the personal name is uncertain; the usual explanation of the name remains the "pleasing, charming" sense. Some later explanations of Rama's dark complexion draw on this word, but that is a symbolic association rather than the name's standard etymology.
Rama Name History & Origins
The name is ancient in Sanskrit. Its best-known literary use is in the Ramayana, the Sanskrit epic attributed by tradition to Valmiki. The poem follows Rama, a prince of Ayodhya, through his exile, the abduction of his wife Sita by the demon king Ravana, and her rescue with the help of Hanuman. The epic took shape over a long period; its surviving text is usually placed somewhere in the first millennium BCE, though its dating is debated. The Ramayana is the work that made Rama a central figure in Indian literature, but the name also appears in other Sanskrit works, including the Mahabharata.
In Hindu tradition, Rama is the seventh avatar of Vishnu. This identification is developed in the epic and in later Puranic and devotional texts. The name became central to bhakti practice, especially in the chanting of the name and in retellings such as Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, composed in Awadhi in the sixteenth century. Jain and Buddhist retellings of the Rama story also exist.
As the name moved into modern Indo-Aryan languages, the final short -a was often dropped: Sanskrit Rāma becomes Hindi and Urdu Ram. In Tamil, a Dravidian language, the name is commonly rendered Raman. In India and Nepal, Rama is used as a masculine given name, and it appears in compounds such as Ramachandra and Ramakrishna. The name also traveled with the Ramayana to Southeast Asia. Thai, Cambodian, and Malay versions of the epic - the Ramakien, Reamker, and Hikayat Seri Rama - made Rama a familiar literary figure; in Thailand, "Rama" is used in the royal names of the Chakri kings. In Indonesia, particularly Java, Rama is a masculine given name associated with wayang performances of the epic.
How Popular is the Name Rama?
Rama 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 2010. Its best rank was #1,749 in 1897.
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 | #11,699 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #6,320 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #9,465 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #11,036 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #14,862 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #16,981 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #7,268 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #9,677 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #9,790 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #6,143 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2015 | #6,197 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2014 | #6,649 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2013 | #4,405 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2012 | #4,277 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2011 | #4,335 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2010 | #4,166 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 2009 | #6,755 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #8,025 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #5,659 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2006 | #6,083 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2005 | #4,347 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2004 | #5,710 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2003 | #5,992 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #4,588 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 2001 | #6,557 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #4,758 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1999 | #4,279 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1998 | #7,004 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1997 | #5,572 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1996 | #5,470 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1995 | #11,460 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #9,412 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #9,329 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #14,939 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #12,693 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #8,880 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #11,538 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #7,933 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #8,304 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #7,743 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #9,802 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #9,236 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #9,256 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #7,750 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #5,844 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #7,887 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #6,592 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #6,378 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #5,673 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #6,584 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #5,714 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #6,388 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #5,576 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #3,979 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1957 | #5,260 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #5,205 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #4,303 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1954 | #2,982 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1953 | #4,162 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1952 | #3,733 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #3,443 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #3,019 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1949 | #3,567 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1948 | #2,397 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1947 | #3,193 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1946 | #3,919 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1945 | #3,335 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1944 | #2,595 | 13 | 0.0010% |
| 1943 | #2,534 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1942 | #3,158 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1941 | #3,499 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1940 | #2,701 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1939 | #3,357 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1938 | #2,700 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1937 | #3,104 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1936 | #4,732 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #2,889 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1934 | #2,269 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1933 | #2,654 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1932 | #4,956 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #3,013 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1929 | #2,703 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1928 | #2,596 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1927 | #4,698 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1926 | #3,497 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1925 | #4,350 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1924 | #4,360 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #4,983 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #3,302 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1919 | #3,740 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1915 | #3,718 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1902 | #1,989 | 5 | 0.0019% |
| 1897 | #1,749 | 5 | 0.0021% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,560 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #13,723 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #7,191 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #7,144 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #9,488 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #10,344 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #7,512 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #8,668 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #8,566 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #11,825 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #9,501 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #9,472 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #6,191 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #8,757 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #9,970 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #8,009 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,171 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #7,683 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #8,222 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #4,603 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #7,120 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #5,351 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #5,884 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #3,354 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #3,781 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1976 | #3,055 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #3,607 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #2,533 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1973 | #3,393 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #3,290 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #3,592 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #3,232 | 10 | 0.0005% |
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 Rama Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Rama's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rama's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.