About the name Rahula
The Buddha reportedly named his newborn son Rahula, a fetter, because a child binds a man to household life, and the boy later became the youngest member of the monastic order. The shortened Rahul is now overwhelmingly a mainstream Hindu name in North India, where almost nobody connects it to its rather blunt original meaning.
Rahula is a boy name of Pali origin, pronounced RAH-hoo-lah. On the NameRarity scale it scores 96 out of 100, which places it in the ultra rare band — fewer than 1 in 10,000 people carry this name. You will almost never meet another. Its strongest period was the classical era.
Name facts at a glance
How popular is Rahula?
Rahula currently falls outside the US top 1,000, which is a large part of why it scores so highly for rarity. Roughly 1.4 people per million carry it — about 1 in 714,286. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.
Famous people named Rahula
- Walpola RahulaSri Lankan monk and scholar, author of What the Buddha Taught
Spellings and variants of Rahula
Names similar to Rahula
Nanda
NUN-dah
Joy, delight, also the Buddha's half-brother
Ananda
ah-NAHN-dah
Bliss, joy, also the Buddha's cousin and personal attendant
Rahul
rah-HOOL
Efficient, capable; borne by the son of the Buddha
Kanthaka
KUN-tah-kah
Name of the white horse that carried Siddhartha from the palace
Anuruddha
ah-noo-ROOD-hah
Compliant, unobstructed, a cousin of the Buddha noted for divine sight
Bodhi
BOH-dee
Awakening, enlightenment, the tree under which the Buddha awoke
Rajinder
ruh-JIN-der
Lord of kings, from Rajendra
Rajveer
raj-VEER
Brave king, royal warrior
Rahula — frequently asked questions
What does the name Rahula mean?
Rahula means "Fetter, the name the Buddha gave his only son". It is a name of Pali origin, most often given to a boy.
How do you pronounce Rahula?
Rahula is pronounced RAH-hoo-lah, with 3 syllables.
How rare is the name Rahula?
Rahula scores 96 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it ultra rare. Roughly 1 in every 714,286 people carry it — about 1.4 per million.
What is the numerology number for Rahula?
Rahula carries the expression number 7, known as The Seeker. Its soul urge number is 5 and its personality number is 2.
What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Rahula?
The lucky number for Rahula is 7 (with 16, 25, 34 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Deep Violet. The traditional lucky day is Monday and the associated gemstone is Sapphire.