Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Rama
“one who is exalted”
Rama is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who is exalted.”
Original Sanskritराम
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “one who is exalted.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
The name draws on Sanskrit rama, meaning “pleasing”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1897. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Rama through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,406
- 276 boys · 1,130 girls
- Most popular year
- 2010
- 44 babies
- 2025
- 19
- #7,560 for boys · #11,699 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +11%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,560 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 16 in 1974. It also appeared in 8 birth records for girls in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,175 as a first name in 2020; 1,652 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.
Rama’s family of names
Rama has a related form in Ram. Rama has a related form in Ram. Rama has a related form in Ramu.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Rama has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 8
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Rama
- Rama YadeSenegalese and French politician and the authorborn 1976
- Rama DuwajiAmerican artist, First Lady of New York City (born 1997)
- Rama Thiawdirector and filmmakerborn 1978
- Rama BrewGhanaian actress and musician
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Rama, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Seraphim
“the burning ones; heavenly winged angels”
43% boys · 57% girls
Indra
“in Hinduism, the god of the sky and weather”
37% boys · 63% girls
Lael
“one who belongs to God”
49% boys · 51% girls
Ramsey
Ramsey is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the raven island; from the island of wild garlic.”
56% boys · 44% girls
Mana
“a charismatic and prestigious woman”
28% boys · 72% girls
Karman
“the lord of the manor”
35% boys · 65% girls
Kemper
“one who is noble”
62% boys · 38% girls
Raleigh
“from the clearing of roe deer”
36% boys · 64% girls