UK boy's name
Kumar
A Hindu masculine name meaning "prince" or "son of nobility".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2004. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kumar is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kumar popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2004 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3651, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 3 births.
This profile covers 9 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 1996 to 2004. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 9 living people in the UK are called Kumar. 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 2005 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kumar ranked #3651 for boys in England and Wales in 2004, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 3 boys were registered as Kumar.
- • About 9 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kumar as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3651
2004
Births in 2004
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
3 births
Estimated living
9
2026
Meaning
What does Kumar mean?
The name Kumar has its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is derived from the word "Kumara," which means "prince" or "boy." The name gained prominence during the classical period of Indian history, between the 3rd century BCE and the 8th century CE.
Kumar is a title that was historically bestowed upon princes or young men of noble birth. It was often used as an honorific prefix before the given name of a prince or a member of the ruling class. In ancient Hindu scriptures and epic tales, such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, the name Kumar is associated with various characters of royal lineage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kumar can be found in the Rigveda, a collection of ancient Vedic Sanskrit hymns composed between 1500 and 1000 BCE. In the Rigveda, the name is mentioned in the context of describing a young and valiant warrior.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kumar. One of the most famous was Kumar Sambhava, an 8th-century Indian philosopher and scholar who made significant contributions to the field of logic and epistemology. Another prominent figure was Kumar Gupta I, a powerful ruler of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE, known for his military conquests and patronage of the arts and literature.
During the medieval period, the name Kumar was associated with several influential rulers and warriors. Kumar Devi, a 15th-century queen of the Vijayanagara Empire, was renowned for her courage and leadership on the battlefield. Kumar Pal, a 9th-century king of the Pala Empire in Bengal, was a patron of Buddhism and an accomplished scholar.
In more recent times, the name Kumar has been carried by notable personalities such as Kumar Gandharva, a celebrated Indian classical singer and musician who lived from 1924 to 1992. Kumar Bhattacharyya, born in 1940, is an acclaimed Indian statistician and the founder of the field of random dynamical systems.
While the name Kumar has its roots in ancient India, it has transcended cultural boundaries and is now used by people of diverse backgrounds around the world, particularly in regions with strong historical and cultural ties to the Indian subcontinent.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kumar over time
The chart below shows babies named Kumar registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2004. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kumar, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2004, compared with 3 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kumar by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kumar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | #3651 | 3 | 1 |
| 1990s | #2882 | 6 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Kumar
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Kumar: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kumar in the UK right now?
In 2004, Kumar was ranked #3651 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Kumar most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 3 babies registered as Kumar in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kumar?
A Hindu masculine name meaning "prince" or "son of nobility".
How many people are called Kumar in the UK?
A total of 9 babies have been registered as Kumar across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.