Raj
Masculine · “rule”
Raj is the Sanskrit and Hindi word for rule, and it descends from the same Indo-European root as the Latin rex.
How old is the name Raj?
Raj first appears in US birth records in 1950 — 75 years ago. The typical Raj alive today was born around 2000, making them about 25 years old. About 2,100 people named Raj are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Raj most popular?
Raj peaked in 2003, reaching #1478 nationally. Today it ranks #4539, 3,061 places below that high. See the whole 2003 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From rajan to Raj
The story of Raj
Raj is the ordinary word for rule or reign and is used in compounds throughout Indian languages — swaraj, self-rule, was the central slogan of the independence movement. The British Raj was simply the British rule, named in Hindi. As a personal name Raj is used across India and as a short form of Rajesh, Rajiv and Raja. It reaches American records with Indian families.
Meaning
rule, king
From Sanskrit raj, to rule, and rajan, a king; the root is the same one behind Latin rex, Irish rí and Gaulish -rix. The British Raj takes its name from the ordinary Hindi word for rule.
How the name formed
- rajan
- raj
Related forms: Raj · Rajan · Rex
Pronouncing Raj
RAHJ
One syllable. Every letter is sounded.
Nicknames for Raj
Moderate
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
- 1950
- Most boys named
- 200388 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1478reached in 2003
- Change vs 2024
- +10.0%22 in 2025, from 20
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.
Raj in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Raj in Hindi — transliteration
- Rajan in Sanskrit — related form
- Rex in Latin — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Rajs among us
people named Raj are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 77,640 born in 2025 was named Raj
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Vikram test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Raj's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Vikram climbed just as high around 1981, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Vikram's path sketches the road Raj is walking now.
Raj sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Raj beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Raj in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a genuinely deep Indo-European root.
- Three letters and one syllable — as short as a name gets.
- Recognized across India and beyond it without explanation.
- The British Raj is a strong and politically loaded association.
- It reads as a shortening to Indian speakers, which may matter on a document.
- A three-letter name gives no room for a nickname.
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What they receive
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Raj
Masculine · #4539 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Rajs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,100 people named Raj are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Raj in 2025?
- Raj ranks #4539 among US boy names in 2025, with 22 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Raj?
- About 1 in every 77,640 US boys born in 2025 was named Raj — 22 in all.
- Will my child share the name Raj with classmates?
- Raj will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Raj
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Nels#4539 · Gabe#4539 · Michel#4539 · Elroy#4539 · Orlin#4539 · Pearce#4539 · Josemaria#4539 · Napoleon#4539
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Raj? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Raj and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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