Sunil

Meaning of Sunil

Sunil is a masculine Sanskrit name that literally means “deep blue,” a color traditionally linked to rain-laden clouds and, by extension, to the beloved deity Krishna—an association that lends the name a quiet gravitas rather than any overt solar flair. Spoken across the Indian subcontinent, its regional pronunciations cluster around the helpful English approximation “soo-neel,” with only minor shifts in vowel length or tongue position from Bengali to Telugu. In the United States the name has never broken into mainstream popularity, yet Illinois birth data show a modest trickle—peaking at eight newborns in 1979—suggesting that immigrant families of the late-1970s and early-1980s found space for cultural continuity amid Midwestern cornfields. The spelling is refreshingly phonetic, the meaning evocative but not florid, and the historical footprint large enough to feel established without drifting into the overly common. For parents seeking a globally recognizable name with a cool tone and a touch of mythic resonance, Sunil quietly ticks the boxes.