The baby name Kunalan is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced koo-NAH-luhn (approx. IPA: /kuˈnɑːlən/).
Kunalan is Tamil in Origin.
The baby name Kunalan is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced koo-NAH-luhn (approx. IPA: /kuˈnɑːlən/).
Kunalan is Tamil in Origin.
Kunalan is a Tamil masculine given name, often alternately spelled Gunalan. It derives from Sanskrit guna (quality, virtue) transmitted through Tamil guna/gunam (good character), combined with the Tamil masculine suffix -an (sometimes expanded as -alan), yielding the sense “one endowed with virtues” or “man of good character.” The initial g/k alternation reflects common Tamil transliteration habits rather than a change in meaning.
Used across Tamil-speaking communities in India and Sri Lanka and throughout the diaspora in Malaysia and Singapore, the name gained steady 20th-century visibility; a notable bearer is Singaporean sprinter K. Kunalan. In Tamil patronymic practice it can also appear as a surname. Variants and short forms include Gunalan, Guna, Gunan, and Gunal; related virtue names are Gunaseelan and Gunasekaran. Despite phonetic similarity, it is distinct from the North Indian name Kunal, which has a separate etymology and meaning.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BN | Boys | 0 | #139 | 1 | 6,332 |
| MY | 0 | #353 | 2 | 12,352 | |
| BH | 0 | #586 | 2 | 17,937 | |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #688 | 10 | 17,960 |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #743 | 1 | 18,093 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,007 | 105 | 25,439 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #1,072 | 1 | 24,821 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,272 | 1 | 25,619 |
Kunalan is popular in 6 countries — most recent births per country:
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