Gurnaaz
A feminine Punjabi name meaning "praiseworthy" or "virtuous".
Name Census estimates that about 129 living Americans carry the first name Gurnaaz. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gurnaaz today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gurnaaz births was 2023 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gurnaaz. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gurnaaz with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
129
~ 1 in 2,657,010 Americans
Peak year
2023
30 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,842
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Gurnaaz: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gurnaaz from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 97 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gurnaaz by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gurnaaz during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gurnaaz' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gurnaaz
The name Gurnaaz has its origins in the Punjabi language, which is primarily spoken in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, as well as in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The name is believed to have derived from the Persian words "gur," meaning "sugar," and "naaz," meaning "coquetry" or "coyness."
The earliest recorded use of the name Gurnaaz can be traced back to the 16th century, during the reign of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. It is believed that the name became popular among the Punjabi Sikh community during this time, as many Sikhs adopted names with Persian roots due to the influence of the Mughal culture.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Gurnaaz can be found in the writings of the renowned Sikh scholar and poet, Bhai Gurdas (1551-1636). In his literary work, "Varan Bhai Gurdas," he mentions a woman named Gurnaaz, who was known for her beauty and grace.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gurnaaz. One such person was Gurnaaz Kaur (1935-2021), a prominent Punjabi folk singer and actress from India. She was widely acclaimed for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of Punjabi folk music and culture.
Another famous Gurnaaz was Gurnaaz Singh (1892-1961), an Indian freedom fighter and politician who played a significant role in the struggle for independence from British rule. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, which drafted the country's constitution.
In the field of literature, Gurnaaz Khurana (born 1972) is a celebrated Indian author and screenwriter. Her novels, such as "Jasmine Leaves" and "The Awakening," explore themes of identity, relationships, and the complexities of modern urban life.
Gurnaaz Kaur Cheema (born 1993) is a prominent Indian athlete who specializes in the sport of weightlifting. She has represented India in various international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, and has won numerous medals for her country.
Gurnaaz Singh Sandhu (born 1997) is an Indian cricketer who plays for the Punjab cricket team in domestic tournaments. He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and is considered a promising talent in Indian cricket.
It is important to note that while the name Gurnaaz has its roots in the Punjabi culture, it has gained popularity across various regions and communities in India and beyond, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries.
People
Gurnaaz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gurnaaz as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gurnaaz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gurnaaz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 129 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gurnaaz going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,657,010 US residents.
Is Gurnaaz a common name?
We classify Gurnaaz as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 130 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gurnaaz most popular?
The single biggest year for Gurnaaz was 2023, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gurnaaz is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gurnaaz in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gurnaaz a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gurnaaz in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gurnaaz still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gurnaaz in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gurnaaz can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Gurnaaz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.