Karunakaran

Karunakaran is a South Indian given name and surname commonly found in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The name is constructed from elements that evoke compassion and action, and it is used as both a given name and a family name in various communities across the region.

Notable people with the name include K. Karunakaran, a prominent Indian politician from Kerala who played a leading role in state and national politics, serving in senior capacities in the Congress party and in government leadership positions. Another use of the name is in the Tamil film industry, where Karunakaran is the name of a contemporary actor known for his work in several Tamil-language films.

As with many South Indian names, Karunakaran appears in different spellings and adaptations across languages and communities. The name is part of a broader naming tradition in which suffixes and prefixes reflect familial and regional identities, and it may be encountered among people in India as well as in diaspora communities abroad. Overall, Karunakaran is recognized as a culturally regional name with associations in politics and cinema, among other fields.