UK girl's name
Sunita
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "good little daughter".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2007. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Sunita is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Sunita popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2007 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3218, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 11 births.
This profile covers 63 England and Wales registrations across 9 recorded years from 1996 to 2007. 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 55% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 68 living people in the UK are called Sunita. 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 2008 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Sunita ranked #3218 for girls in England and Wales in 2007, with 6 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 11 girls were registered as Sunita.
- • Sunita ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #565 in 1985.
- • About 68 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sunita as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3218
2007
Births in 2007
6
Latest year
Peak year
1996
11 births
Estimated living
68
2026
Meaning
What does Sunita mean?
The name Sunita has its origins in the Sanskrit language, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that is the root of many modern Indian languages. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "sunita," which means "well-mannered" or "well-disciplined." The name has been in use in the Indian subcontinent for centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sunita can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts. It is mentioned in the Vedas, the oldest and most sacred Hindu scriptures, as well as in the Puranas, which are ancient Hindu mythological texts.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Sunita was Sunita Devi, a princess from the Gupta Empire, which ruled over parts of the Indian subcontinent from the 4th to the 6th century CE. She was renowned for her beauty and intelligence.
Another notable Sunita in history was Sunita Krishnan, an Indian social activist who worked tirelessly to rescue and rehabilitate victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. She was born in 1972 and passed away in 2022.
In the realm of literature, Sunita Srinivas was an acclaimed Indian novelist and short story writer who wrote in both English and Telugu. She was born in 1930 and her works often explored themes of feminism and social injustice.
Sunita Williams, an American astronaut of Indian descent, made history when she became the first person to run a marathon in space. She was born in 1965 and has completed seven spacewalks during her time with NASA.
Sunita Narain is an Indian environmentalist and political activist who has been a prominent voice in the fight against climate change and environmental degradation. She was born in 1961 and has received numerous awards for her work, including the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Sunita over time
The chart below shows babies named Sunita registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2007. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Sunita, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2007, compared with 11 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sunita by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sunita 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 | #3198 | 26 | 5 |
| 1990s | #1810 | 37 | 4 |
Geography
Where Sunita is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Sunita. 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.
Sunita ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #565 in 1985.
Across the UK
Sunita in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#565 in 1985
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Sunita
-
Sunita Shroff
television presenter; actor
British actress
Related
Names similar to Sunita
- Sophie 103,803
- Sophia 46,936
- Scarlett 34,261
- Sienna 32,418
- Sofia 29,136
- Sarah 27,961
- Shannon 25,510
- Summer 24,167
- Sara 14,205
- Skye 13,654
- Samantha 12,697
- Stephanie 9,309
FAQ
Sunita: questions and answers
How popular is the name Sunita in the UK right now?
In 2007, Sunita was ranked #3218 for girls in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.
When was Sunita most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 11 babies registered as Sunita in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Sunita?
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "good little daughter".
How many people are called Sunita in the UK?
A total of 63 babies have been registered as Sunita across the 9 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Sunita most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Sunita ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #565 in 1985. 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.