Fun Facts About the Name Rudra
- More than 1 thousand babies named Rudra: U.S. records list 1,794 babies given the name Rudra from 1880 through 2025. Even 32 girls received the name Rudra - about 1 girl for every 55 boys.
What Does the Name Rudra Mean?
Rudra is a Sanskrit name generally explained as "the roarer" or "the howler," from the old verb root rud- (present stem roditi), "to roar, howl, weep." The word is used in the oldest Hindu text, the Rigveda, both for a single storm god and for a group of gods called the Rudras, so the basic sense fits a deity heard in thunder and wind.
A traditional gloss ties Rudra to rudhira, "blood, red," pointing to the god's ruddy or brown appearance in Vedic description. That is an association built on sound and color rather than the standard derivation, which rests on the "roar" root. The root itself is sometimes compared with "roar" words in other Indo-European languages, but such comparisons concern the ancient root, not the later history of the name.
In later Hindu tradition the name became a common title of Shiva, and the "eleven Rudras" are counted among the lesser deities of the Puranas. The literal sense "roarer" belongs to the name's Vedic origin; its use as a name for Shiva belongs to later religious development.
Rudra Name History & Origins
The name appears in the Rigveda, where hymns such as 1.43, 1.114, and 2.33 are addressed to Rudra. There he is called babhru, reddish-brown, and kapardin, wearing knotted or braided hair; he carries a bow and arrows, leads the Maruts, the storm gods called his sons, and is asked both to bring healing medicine and to hold back his fierce anger. Because his temper was feared, poets addressed him as Shiva, "auspicious," a placating euphemism that eventually merged with the god's identity.
The Shatarudriya, or Shri Rudram, a long litany in the Yajurveda, praises Rudra under many names and forms and is still recited in Shiva temples. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad treats Rudra as the supreme lord, and Puranic texts describe Rudra as born from Brahma's anger and identified with Shiva. Lists such as the Shiva Sahasranama, the "thousand names of Shiva," include Rudra among his names.
As a personal name, Rudra has long been used in India, especially in families devoted to Shiva, and it also appears inside longer names and compounds - for instance Rudraksha, the seed traditionally called "Rudra's eye," and place names such as Rudrapatna and Rudranath. Forms of the name occur in Nepal and in Hindu communities of Southeast Asia, including Bali. In English-speaking countries it appears mainly among families of Indian descent, usually spelled Rudra.
How Popular is the Name Rudra?
Rudra 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 2025. Its best rank was #1,289 in 2025.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #12,040 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #14,924 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #13,201 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #19,635 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #17,075 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,289 | 152 | 0.0089% |
| 2024 | #1,337 | 143 | 0.0083% |
| 2023 | #1,388 | 134 | 0.0078% |
| 2022 | #1,718 | 99 | 0.0057% |
| 2021 | #1,685 | 98 | 0.0056% |
| 2020 | #1,644 | 98 | 0.0057% |
| 2019 | #1,610 | 103 | 0.0057% |
| 2018 | #1,552 | 109 | 0.0060% |
| 2017 | #1,601 | 101 | 0.0055% |
| 2016 | #1,782 | 86 | 0.0045% |
| 2015 | #1,996 | 73 | 0.0038% |
| 2014 | #1,902 | 77 | 0.0040% |
| 2013 | #2,702 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2012 | #3,225 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2011 | #1,778 | 82 | 0.0043% |
| 2010 | #1,998 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 2009 | #2,792 | 44 | 0.0022% |
| 2008 | #2,339 | 56 | 0.0027% |
| 2007 | #2,408 | 54 | 0.0026% |
| 2006 | #2,728 | 43 | 0.0021% |
| 2005 | #4,035 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2004 | #9,739 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #10,611 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #7,515 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #8,160 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #7,286 | 9 | 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.
Explore More Lists with Name Rudra
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with R
Short Boy Names That Start with R
How the Name Rudra 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. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Rudra's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rudra's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.