A decade-by-decade study revealing how culture, belief, cinema, and aspiration shaped Indian naming trends

Mumbai, India : Ahead of Republic Day, iMeUsWe, India’s first family platform linking the past with the future through ancestry, communities, and astrology, launches The Names of India Report, India’s first decade-by-decade study tracking popular Indian names from 1947 to 2025. Based on the analysis of 1.6 billion real public records, the report reveals how Indian families have reflected faith, aspiration, cinema, and social change through the names they chose across generations.

Using historical data, the report maps how naming trends have shifted alongside culture, religion,cinema, politics, economics, travel, and social change. From mythology-inspired names that reflected faith and nation-building after Independence, to cinema-led choices in the 1990s such as Rajesh, Sanjay, Rahul and Pooja, Indian naming has consistently mirrored the country’s social and emotional mood. As media exposure and global mobility increased, names became shorter, more fluid, and globally recognizable, reflecting a more outward-looking India.

Speaking on the launch, Vivek Desai, Co-Founder, iMeUsWe, said, “India’s history is usually told through dates, events, and great leaders. We believed its most intimate story was hidden in its name. The Names of India Report shows how each generation quietly expressed its dreams, values, and inspirations through the names it gave its children.”

At its core, iMeUsWe is built to bond families by preserving ancestral stories, memories, and heritage, helping individuals connect their past, present, and future through a shared sense of belonging. Timed ahead of Republic Day, the launch underlines how national stories are shaped not only by constitutions and speeches, but by deeply personal choices made within families.