Dharma
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- DAR-ma
- Origin
- Sanskrit
Dharma is a girls' name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “duty, cosmic law”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Dharma mean?
Sanskrit: from dharma, from the root dhṛ 'to hold'
“duty, cosmic law”
A central concept in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain thought, meaning duty, righteousness and the order that upholds the universe.
Is Dharma a girl's or a boy's name?
Dharma is a girls' name.
How popular is Dharma in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1999, with 10 girls.
Half of all the girls named Dharma in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2008, the years shaded on the chart below.
Dharma in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | #4,914 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 1 | #7,629 |
| 2014 | 5 | #4,187 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 3 | #6,108 |
| 2011 | 1 | #7,717 |
| 2010 | 6 | #3,715 |
| 2009 | 3 | #5,801 |
| 2008 | 3 | #5,772 |
| 2007 | 7 | #3,060 |
| 2006 | 5 | #3,724 |
| 2005 | 3 | #4,976 |
| 2004 | 6 | #2,957 |
| 2003 | 5 | #3,233 |
| 2002 | 10 | #1,874 |
| 2001 | 6 | #2,587 |
| 2000 | 8 | #2,097 |
| 1999 | 10 | #1,770 |
| 1998 | 7 | #2,304 |
How popular is Dharma in the US?
No girls in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1998, with 68 girls. It first appears in the records in 1969.
Half of all the girls named Dharma in the US since 1880 were born between 2000 and 2009, the years shaded on the chart below.
Dharma in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 | #12,192 |
| 2022 | 6 | #13,586 |
| 2021 | 5 | #15,246 |
| 2020 | 5 | #15,083 |
| 2019 | 11 | #9,106 |
| 2018 | 9 | #10,540 |
| 2017 | 7 | #12,709 |
| 2016 | 10 | #10,109 |
| 2015 | 13 | #8,443 |
| 2014 | 17 | #6,985 |
| 2013 | 11 | #9,607 |
| 2012 | 11 | #9,706 |
| 2011 | 18 | #6,852 |
| 2010 | 15 | #7,877 |
| 2009 | 14 | #8,450 |
| 2008 | 14 | #8,525 |
| 2007 | 33 | #4,474 |
| 2006 | 26 | #5,232 |
| 2005 | 39 | #3,726 |
| 2004 | 45 | #3,329 |
| 2003 | 49 | #3,040 |
| 2002 | 24 | #4,902 |
| 2001 | 33 | #3,860 |
| 2000 | 53 | #2,736 |
| 1999 | 55 | #2,564 |
| 1998 | 68 | #2,121 |
| 1997 | 9 | #9,012 |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 6 | #7,290 |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 5 | #7,469 |
Names like Dharma
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Prisha, Priya, Viha, Divisha, Krisha, Dhriti, Dhyana, Dhanvi, Navya, Radhika, Kavya, Amrit
More Sanskrit names
Maya, Bodhi, Arya, Lila, Arjun, Aarav, Rohan, Kali, Aryan, Opal, Arjan, Vihaan, Aadhya, Avyaan, Ishaan, Siya
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Dharma: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/dharma, updated 20 October 2026.