The baby name Karunan is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /kəˈruːnən/ (kah-ROO-nun); Tamil IPA: /kəɾuɳan/.
The baby name Karunan is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /kəˈruːnən/ (kah-ROO-nun); Tamil IPA: /kəɾuɳan/.
Karunan is Sanskrit, Tamil in Origin.
Karunan is a South Indian masculine given name of Tamil and Sanskrit lineage meaning “the compassionate one.” It derives from Sanskrit and Pali karuṇa, compassion, combined with the Tamil masculine suffix -an; a scholarly transliteration is Karuṇan.
Used among Tamil speakers in India, Sri Lanka, and the diaspora, the name also appears as a patronymic surname under Tamil naming conventions. The virtue-term karuṇa is central in Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu thought, lending the name devotional and ethical resonance. Related and extended forms such as Karunakaran (embodiment of compassion) and Karunanidhi (treasure of compassion) are long-standing in Tamil literary and public life. Variants and cognates across Indian languages include Karun (male), Karuna (often female or unisex), Karunesh, and Karunakara or Karunakar. Short forms like Karu or Karun are common in daily use. Spellings without diacritics (Karunan) are standard in English contexts.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KW | 0 | #121 | 1 | 5,216 | |
| AE | 0 | #187 | 1 | 10,220 | |
| JO | Boys | 0 | #389 | 1 | 7,057 |
| ZA | 0 | #474 | 1 | 14,421 | |
| BH | 0 | #579 | 9 | 17,937 | |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #597 | 1 | 20,968 |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #732 | 8 | 17,960 |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #735 | 9 | 18,093 |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #798 | 9 | 18,755 |
| OM | Boys | 0 | #856 | 26 | 17,948 |
| AE | Boys | 0 | #1,066 | 27 | 22,615 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,090 | 22 | 25,439 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,272 | 1 | 25,619 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,589 | 26 | 28,008 |
Karunan is popular in 10 countries — most recent births per country:
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