NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Arav

Of Sanskrit origin meaning "peaceful" or referring to the sun.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Arav is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Arav popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3254, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 22 births.

This profile covers 223 England and Wales registrations across 22 recorded years from 2003 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 27% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 225 living people in the UK are called Arav. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Arav ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2013, when 22 boys were registered as Arav.
  • Arav ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #687 in 2013.
  • About 225 living people in the UK are estimated to have Arav as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3254

2024

Births in 2024

6

Latest year

Peak year

2013

22 births

Estimated living

225

2026

Meaning

What does Arav mean?

The name Arav has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language from the Indian subcontinent. It is believed to have originated around the 2nd millennium BCE. The name Arav is derived from the Sanskrit word "arva," which means "horse" or "stallion."

In ancient Hindu mythology, the horse held a significant symbolism and was often associated with power, strength, and speed. The name Arav was likely chosen to bestow these qualities upon the bearer. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, where it was used for both human and divine characters.

One of the earliest known references to the name Arav can be found in the Mahabharata, a legendary Sanskrit epic dating back to around the 8th century BCE. In the epic, Arav was the name of a warrior who fought alongside the Pandavas in the great battle of Kurukshetra.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Arav. One of the most prominent was Arav Narasimhan (1904-1983), an Indian freedom fighter and politician who played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement alongside Mahatma Gandhi.

Another famous Arav was Arav Thakur (1892-1968), an Indian scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit literature and the preservation of ancient Indian texts.

In the realm of arts and culture, Arav Choudhuri (1915-1997) was a renowned Indian dancer and choreographer who helped popularize classical Indian dance forms such as Kathak and Bharatanatyam on the global stage.

Moving to more modern times, Arav Appadurai (born 1936) is a celebrated Indian-American anthropologist and philosopher who has made seminal contributions to the study of globalization and cultural theory.

Lastly, Arav Singh (born 1992) is a contemporary Indian actor and model who has gained popularity for his roles in various Bollywood films and television shows.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Arav over time

The chart below shows babies named Arav registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2003 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Arav, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 22 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Arav
06111722200320132024

Decades

Arav by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Arav was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #2684 38 5
2010s #1879 135 10
2000s #2367 50 7

Geography

Where Arav is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Arav. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Arav ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #687 in 2013.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Arav in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#687 in 2013

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Related

Names similar to Arav

FAQ

Arav: questions and answers

How popular is the name Arav in the UK right now?

In 2024, Arav was ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.

When was Arav most popular?

The peak year on record was 2013, with 22 babies registered as Arav in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Arav?

Of Sanskrit origin meaning "peaceful" or referring to the sun.

How many people are called Arav in the UK?

A total of 223 babies have been registered as Arav across the 22 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Arav most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Arav ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #687 in 2013. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.