Contribute your knowledge to the name Kumar

Comments and insights on the name Kumar

This is a very common last name for people of Indian descent. It is rare to find it as a last name, but there are a handful of Kumar-somethings out there.

Personal experiences with the name Kumar

For some reason, people through high-school had trouble pronouncing the name correctly, but it wasn't a problem when I entered college (before the movie came out, see below). Correct pronunciation: "coo-mar" although I have heard: "cum-are", "cue-mare", "come-air" and very rarely "qui-mer". Less of a problem now that there is a popular movie with the name in the title.

Nicknames for Kumar

Kooms, Koomie, Kumster, smart, Koo, Kum "pronounced coom"kulfi

Meanings and history of the name Kumar

It depends on the language. I've been told that it means "unwed bachelor" or "prince" in some Indian language. I've also heard that it means "moon" in Arabic, but I would double check this to be certain.

Yes, it is translated from Sanskrit as "boy" or "prince" (and as such is a part of many other names).

Famous real-life people named Kumar

The most famous Kumar of the current generation (Gen X, Millenials) is Kumar Patel of the move "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" played by Kal Penn (also in the hit TV series show House). The movie has been dubbed the "Cheech and Chong" of the current generation and, as a Kumar myself, I'm glad the name was part of a movie that was viewed positively by the public and not associated with a negative connotation as with some other names-in-movie-title names. It also helped that I was about the same age as the character in the movie and also going into medicine, so I have had many people compare me to the movie or make light-hearted jokes about the plot - hey, I'm just happy to have them recognize the name now, its almost like I'm famous!

Kumar in song, story & screen

Kumar Patel, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Kumar Patel, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay