Rudra
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ROO-dra
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- UK rank, 2025
- #630 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,287 for boys
Rudra is a boys' name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “roarer, howler”. In 2025 it ranked 630th for boys in the UK (66 babies) and 1,287th for boys in the US (152 babies).
What does Rudra mean?
Sanskrit
“roarer, howler”
Rudra is a fierce Vedic god of storms, later identified with Shiva in Hindu tradition.
Is Rudra a girl's or a boy's name?
Rudra is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 5 girls and 66 boys in the UK and 152 boys in the US.
How popular is Rudra in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 630th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 66 about 1 in 4,500 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 86% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 66 boys in the UK were named Rudra, making it the 630th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,054th. 5 girls were also named Rudra in 2025 (4,276th for girls).
2025 had the most boys named Rudra of any year since it first appeared, in 2005.
Half of all the boys named Rudra in the UK since 1996 were born between 2012 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 585th in England and Wales.
Rudra in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 66 | #630 |
| 2024 | 49 | #769 |
| 2023 | 32 | #1,028 |
| 2022 | 40 | #863 |
| 2021 | 31 | #1,041 |
| 2020 | 29 | #1,054 |
| 2019 | 22 | #1,261 |
| 2018 | 28 | #1,098 |
| 2017 | 20 | #1,374 |
| 2016 | 25 | #1,195 |
| 2015 | 19 | #1,416 |
| 2014 | 28 | #1,079 |
| 2013 | 23 | #1,199 |
| 2012 | 23 | #1,234 |
| 2011 | 21 | #1,293 |
| 2010 | 31 | #994 |
| 2009 | 15 | #1,582 |
| 2008 | 20 | #1,294 |
| 2007 | 10 | #1,987 |
| 2006 | 8 | #2,193 |
| 2005 | 12 | #1,599 |
How popular is Rudra in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,287th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 152 about 1 in 11,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 39% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 152 boys in the US were named Rudra, making it the 1,287th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,634th. It first appears in the records in 2000.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had the most boys named Rudra of any year since it first appeared, in 2000.
Half of all the boys named Rudra in the US since 1880 were born between 2012 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
Rudra in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 152 | #1,287 |
| 2024 | 144 | #1,332 |
| 2023 | 134 | #1,385 |
| 2022 | 99 | #1,706 |
| 2021 | 98 | #1,678 |
| 2020 | 98 | #1,634 |
| 2019 | 103 | #1,606 |
| 2018 | 109 | #1,547 |
| 2017 | 101 | #1,594 |
| 2016 | 86 | #1,774 |
| 2015 | 73 | #1,983 |
| 2014 | 77 | #1,883 |
| 2013 | 44 | #2,666 |
| 2012 | 35 | #3,176 |
| 2011 | 82 | #1,770 |
| 2010 | 69 | #1,985 |
| 2009 | 44 | #2,752 |
| 2008 | 56 | #2,326 |
| 2007 | 54 | #2,372 |
| 2006 | 43 | #2,697 |
| 2005 | 23 | #3,937 |
| 2004 | 7 | #8,921 |
| 2003 | 6 | #9,574 |
| 2002 | 9 | #7,048 |
| 2001 | 8 | #7,529 |
| 2000 | 9 | #6,832 |
Names like Rudra
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Aarav, Vihaan, Shivansh, Yuvraj, Avyaan, Bodhi, Arjan, Veer, Krishiv, Aviraj, Yahya, Rudransh
More Sanskrit names
Maya, Arya, Lila, Arjun, Rohan, Kali, Aryan, Opal, Aadhya, Ishaan, Siya, Leena, Veda, India, Avani, Agastya
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, “Rudra: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/rudra, updated 20 October 2026.