Given name
Varun
“the lord of the waters”
Varun is used as a given name. One Hindi interpretation is “the lord of the waters.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hindi interpretation is “the lord of the waters.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hindi.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1981. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Varun through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,598
- 2,598 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2004
- 145 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #6,111 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −47%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 15 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,111 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 47.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 145 in 2004. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,111 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Varun’s family of names
Varun has a related form in Varuna. Varun has a related form in Varen. Varun has a related form in Varoon.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Varun
- Varun DhawanIndian actor (born 1987)
- Varun GandhiIndian politicianborn 1980
- Varun SharmaIndian actorborn 1990
- Varun AaronIndian cricketer (born 1989)
- Varun BadolaIndian actorborn 1974
- Varun AgarwalIndian film makerborn 1986
- Varun ChopraEnglish cricketer (born 1987)
- Varun SandeshIndian actorborn 1989
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Varun, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Vadin
“a known speaker”
>99% boys
Vishnu
“in Hinduism, the supreme god”
>99% boys
Vijay
“one who is victorious; the conquerer”
>99% boys
Vikram
Vikram is used as a given name and a surname. One Hindi interpretation is “one who keeps pace; in Hinduism, another name for the god Vishnu.”
>99% boys
Vivek
“one who is judicious; filled with wisdom”
>99% boys
Aneesh
“having no lord/master”
>99% boys
Avinash
“indestructible”
>99% boys
Darshan
“of a vision”
>99% boys