Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Murali
“one who plays the flute”
Murali is used as a given name and a surname. One Indian interpretation is “one who plays the flute.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Indian interpretation is “one who plays the flute.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
The name draws on Sanskrit murali, meaning “flute”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1970. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Murali through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 5 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 5 in 1970. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,574 as a first name in 2020; 1,239 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.
Murali’s family of names
Murali has a related form in Muralea. Murali has a related form in Muralee. Murali has a related form in Muraleigh.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Murali, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sanjiv
“one who lives a long lite”
>99% boys
Ranjan
“a delightful boy”
>99% boys
Ravindra
“the strength of the sun”
>99% boys
Jabbar
“one who consoles others”
>99% boys
Vipul
“a man of plenty”
>99% boys
Sunil
“very dark blue” · “a deep dark-blue gem”
>99% boys
Javas
“one who is quick; having bright eyes”
>99% boys
Neeraj
“resembling a lotus”
>99% boys