| Aarnav | Kunal | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Ocean, sea | Lotus; a bird with beautiful eyes |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AHR-nuhv | KUH-nahl |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2012 (62) | 1994 (60) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Declining | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aarnav | Kunal |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 88 | 24 |
| 2010s | 345 | 92 |
| 2000s | 138 | 324 |
| 1990s | 0 | 454 |
| 1980s | 0 | 351 |
| 1970s | 0 | 14 |
From the Sanskrit अर्णव (arṇava), meaning 'ocean' or 'sea', literally 'the foaming/surging water'. A well-established classical Sanskrit word for a great body of water, commonly spelled Arnav or Aarnav.
From the Sanskrit कुणाल (kuṇāla), usually glossed as 'lotus' and secondarily 'a bird with beautiful eyes' (the latter a folk etymology). Historically the name of Emperor Ashoka's son Kunala, 3rd century BCE.
Aarnav and Kunal are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Aarnav means Ocean, sea (sanskrit origin), while Kunal means Lotus; a bird with beautiful eyes (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Aarnav first appears in 0 and Kunal in 0, so Aarnav has the longer recorded history.