Komal
Feminine · “Tender”
Komal is the Hindi and Sanskrit word for tender or soft, and in Indian classical music it names something precise: a note lowered from its natural pitch, the flat that gives many ragas their color. Two syllables, gentle in the mouth.
How old is the name Komal?
Komal first appears in US birth records in 1976 — 49 years ago. The typical Komal alive today was born around 1997, making them about 28 years old. About 600 people named Komal are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Komal most popular?
Komal peaked in 1998, reaching #3068 nationally. See the whole 1998 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From komala to Komal
The story of Komal
In the Hindustani system of music, four of the seven notes can be lowered, and a lowered note is called komal, 'soft': komal re, komal ga, komal dha and komal ni are among the most important sounds in the tradition, and a raga is defined in part by which of them it uses. The name is the same word. It is often confused with Kamal and Kamala, which come from the Sanskrit word for the lotus, but the two are different words with different meanings. Komal came to the United States with Indian families in the late twentieth century.
Meaning
Tender, soft
From Sanskrit komala, 'tender, soft, delicate'.
How the name formed
- komala
- Komal
Related forms: Komal · Komala · Komal
Pronouncing Komal
KOH-mul
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1976
- Most girls named
- 199841 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3068reached in 1998
- Change vs 2012
- −44.4%5 in 2013, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Komal in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Komal in Hindi — transliteration
- Komala in Sanskrit — related form
- Komal in Urdu — transliteration
Komals among us
people named Komal are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Komal sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A clear, documented meaning with a lovely musical use.
- Short and easy to spell.
- Used across several Indian languages.
- People may confuse it with Kamal or Kamala.
- It will be new to most American classmates.
- In India it is given to boys as well as girls, which may surprise some families.
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Komal
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Komals are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Komal are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Komal in 2025?
- Komal is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Komal with classmates?
- Komal will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Karen#1279 · Kimberly#302 · Kathleen#1150 · Katherine#186 · Kelly#851 · Kathryn#729 · Kayla#364 · Kathy#3249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Komal? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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