Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Dinesh
“lord of the day”·“of the sun”
Dinesh is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “lord of the day” (Sanskrit) and “of the sun” (Hindi). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “lord of the day” (Sanskrit) and “of the sun” (Hindi). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
Its Sanskrit formation brings together dina (“day”) and isa (“lord”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1964. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dinesh through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 167
- 167 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 11 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2009. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 11 in 2007. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,079 as a first name in 2020; 505 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Dinesh’s family of names
Dinesh has a related form in Dineshe. Dinesh has a related form in Dymesh. Dinesh has a related form in Dyneshe.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Dinesh
- Dinesh GunawardenaPrime Minister of Sri Lanka, 2022–2024born 1949
- Dinesh KarthikIndian cricketerborn 1985
- Dinesh D'SouzaIndian-American political commentator (born 1961)
- Dinesh TrivediIndian politicianborn 1950
- Dinesh Nandini DalmiaIndian poet1928–2007
- Dinesh Khannabadminton playerborn 1943
- Dinesh Nandan SahayIndian politician (1936-2018)
- Dinesh SharmaIndian politicianborn 1964
- Dinesh Kumar Tripathi26th Chief of the Naval Staff of Indiaborn 1964
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dinesh, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sandesh
“message, news”
>99% boys
Mahesh
“great ruler” · “a great ruler”
>99% boys
Aneesh
“having no lord/master”
>99% boys
Vadin
“a known speaker”
>99% boys
Srijan
“creation”
>99% boys
Vivek
“one who is judicious; filled with wisdom”
>99% boys
Naren
“the best among all men”
>99% boys
Ganesh
“lord of the hosts” · “in Hinduism, the god of wisdom”
>99% boys