UK boy's name
Arun
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "sun" or "reddish-brown color".
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.
Arun is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Arun popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1322, with 20 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 105 births.
This profile covers 1,609 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 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 19% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,621 living people in the UK are called Arun. 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
- • Arun ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 20 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2007, when 105 boys were registered as Arun.
- • Arun ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #595 in 2007.
- • About 1,621 living people in the UK are estimated to have Arun as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1322
2024
Births in 2024
20
Latest year
Peak year
2007
105 births
Estimated living
1,621
2026
Meaning
What does Arun mean?
The name Arun originates from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the second millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "aruna," which means "reddish-brown" or "dawn." The name is believed to have been first used in ancient India, where it was associated with the rising sun and the beginning of a new day.
In Hindu mythology, Arun is the name of the charioteer of the sun god Surya. According to the Vedas, one of the oldest scriptures in the world, Arun drives the chariot that carries the sun across the sky each day. This connection to the sun and the dawn has made the name Arun a popular choice in many parts of India and other regions influenced by Hindu culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arun can be found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic that dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In this epic, Arun is mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought alongside the Pandavas in the great war of Kurukshetra.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Arun. One of the most famous was Arun Asaf Jah, who was the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, a princely state in India, from 1762 to 1803. Another notable figure was Arun Jaitley, an Indian politician who served as the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs from 2014 to 2019.
Other notable individuals with the name Arun include Arun Shourie, an Indian journalist, author, and former Minister of Communications and Information Technology in India, born in 1941. Arun Govil, an Indian actor best known for his portrayal of Lord Rama in the popular television series Ramayan, born in 1959. Arun Vajpey, an Indian politician and former member of the Indian Parliament, born in 1937.
While the name Arun has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu culture, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Indian diaspora populations. The name's association with the dawn and the beginning of a new day has made it a popular choice for parents seeking a name with a positive and auspicious meaning.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Arun over time
The chart below shows babies named Arun registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Arun, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 20 births in 2024, compared with 105 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arun by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Arun 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 | #1429 | 89 | 5 |
| 2010s | #839 | 402 | 10 |
| 2000s | #371 | 833 | 10 |
| 1990s | #338 | 285 | 4 |
Geography
Where Arun is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Arun. 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.
Arun ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #595 in 2007.
Across the UK
Arun in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#595 in 2007
7 years of NRS records, 26 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Arun
-
Arun Harinath
cricketer
cricketer (born 1987)
1987-
-
Arun Nayar
British entrepreneur
1964-
Related
Names similar to Arun
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Arun: questions and answers
How popular is the name Arun in the UK right now?
In 2024, Arun was ranked #1322 for boys in England and Wales, with 20 births registered.
When was Arun most popular?
The peak year on record was 2007, with 105 babies registered as Arun in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Arun?
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "sun" or "reddish-brown color".
How many people are called Arun in the UK?
A total of 1,609 babies have been registered as Arun across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 26 more in Scotland.
Where is Arun most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Arun ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #595 in 2007. 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.