| Pranav | Aarush | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The sacred syllable Om | First ray of the sun; red |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | PRUH-nav | AH-roosh |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1977 | 2002 |
| Peak year | 2004 (236) | 2010 (227) |
| In 2025 | 56 | 99 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Pranav | Aarush |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 398 | 664 |
| 2010s | 1,426 | 1,860 |
| 2000s | 2,010 | 536 |
| 1990s | 358 | 0 |
| 1980s | 28 | 0 |
| 1970s | 5 | 0 |
From Sanskrit pranava (प्रणव), the term for the sacred syllable 'Om', regarded as the primordial sound. A spiritually weighted name meaning the mystic syllable itself.
From Sanskrit arusha (आरुष), 'reddish, red of dawn', commonly glossed as 'the first ray of the sun'. The 'red/dawn' sense is the attested one; 'first ray of sun' is the popular reading.
Aarush is more popular than Pranav today: about 99 US babies were given the name Aarush in 2025, compared with 56 named Pranav.
Pranav means The sacred syllable Om (sanskrit origin), while Aarush means First ray of the sun; red (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Pranav first appears in 1977 and Aarush in 2002, so Pranav has the longer recorded history.