Ketan

♂ Boy

Pronounced KAY-tahn /ˈkeɪ.tɑn/Medium

Meaning: Ketan is a Sanskrit-derived boy's name meaning home, dwelling, banner, or flag, widely used among Gujarati and other Indian communities; it is a genuine heritage name with a clear literal sense.Medium

In 30 seconds: Ketan is a Sanskrit boy's name meaning home or banner, common in Gujarati families. It reached a small number of United States boys around 1980 (said KAY-tahn).

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Origin MediumSanskrit, Indian

MeaningKetan is a Sanskrit-derived boy's name meaning home, dwelling, banner, or flag, widely used among Gujarati and other Indian communities; it is a genuine heritage name with a clear literal sense.

U.S. rank (2017)#13319 ↘ Falling

2017 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1980

Total births (all-time)≈ 352

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Ketan is a genuine Sanskrit name meaning home or banner that travelled to the United States mainly with Indian immigrant families. It appeared here only faintly, touching a small high around 1980.

Never common in America, it was given to only about twenty boys a year even at its peak and appeared thinly into the twenty-first century. A boy named Ketan at that high would be in his mid-forties today. In India the name remains familiar and well liked.

Did you know? In Sanskrit ketu and ketan carry the sense of a banner or flag, and Ketan is a familiar, warmly regarded given name across Gujarat and the wider Indian diaspora.

Overall data confidence 70%

References - Ketan — Sanskrit ketan, home or banner; common Gujarati boy's name

Variations

KetenKetulKetab

Nicknames

KetKetuKT

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Ketan mean?

It is a Sanskrit name meaning home, dwelling, banner, or flag, common in Gujarati families.

How do you pronounce Ketan?

It is said KAY-tahn /ˈkeɪ.tɑn/, two syllables with the stress on the first.

Is Ketan a boy or girl name?

Ketan is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Ketan?

It has always been rare in the United States, given to only about twenty boys a year at its peak in the early nineteen-eighties, though it is familiar in India.