Run

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 21 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Run is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Hindi name2.3K records spelled Run5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India

  Also written Rún, Rûñ

• French surname1.5K records spelled Run2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Réunion, France

  Also written R-Un

• a separate name1.4K records spelled Run3 spellings in the group

  Also written Rún, Rūn

• Malay name880 records spelled Run4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Malaysia

  Also written Ruñ, Rún

• a separate name789 records spelled Run2 spellings in the group

  Also written Rún

47 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Run is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, v., péla, béla = wéla; run away, pime = wime = bime; run swiftly, gbéndé; run in streams, séndé

  as a word·Vocabulary of the Mende Language

• In Russian, dim of Runo.

  as a word·A Dictionary of Period Russian Names (Wickenden / Goldschmidt 1996)

• ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Kirundi.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Vietnamese, to tremble, to shiver (due to cold)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In ang, whisper, counsel, consultation

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

SE SCB — Namnstatistik (to 2023) — 22 years between 1999–2020. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Run Sasakib. 1956JPJapanese voice actress
• Lenya Rún Taha Karimb. 1999ISIcelandic politician (born 1999)
• Xu RunSong dynasty person CBDB = 16901

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 151 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Run?

Our records include 358,187 bearers of Run across 5 countries — a sample of the full distribution.

In which country does Run have the most bearers?

Run is most frequently recorded in the United States, where it is most often spelled run.

What does the name Run mean?

Recorded meaning: To move swiftly.