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Rakesh
How to Pronounce Rakesh
Pronounced ruh-KAYSH /rəˈkeɪʃ/Medium
Meaning: Rakesh comes from Sanskrit, combining raka, the night of the full moon, with isha, meaning lord or ruler, to give lord of the full-moon night. It is a well-established Indian boy's name, poetic in its evocation of the bright full moon.Medium
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
Rakesh is a Sanskrit name formed from raka, the full-moon night, and isha, meaning lord or master, giving the sense lord of the full-moon night. It is a familiar and dignified boy's name across India. In the United States it appears in birth records from the later twentieth century, carried mainly by South Asian immigrant families, with a modest high around nineteen-eighty as that generation established itself.
It was never common in American use, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its peak, so a Rakesh from then would be in his forties today. Among Indian American families it remains a meaningful heritage name rather than a passing fashion.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Rakesh mean?
It is a Sanskrit name meaning lord of the full-moon night, from raka 'full-moon night' and isha 'lord'.
How do you pronounce Rakesh?
It's said ruh-KAYSH /rəˈkeɪʃ/, two syllables stressed on the second.
Is Rakesh a boy or girl name?
Rakesh is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Rakesh?
It has always been rare in the United States, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its nineteen-eighties peak.