Indian names
Indian names draw from an extraordinary range of languages, Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi, and more, often rooted in mythology and carrying meanings like wisdom, radiance, or victory. In many families, the first letter of a baby's name is chosen based on their nakshatra, the birth star, at a ceremony called naamkaran.
Aadhya the first power; another name for the goddess Lakshmi
Aarav from Sanskrit arava, 'crying, howling, noise'
Abhishek anointing, the consecration rite
Aditya the sun (a Vedic solar deity)
Advait unique, non-dual (a key concept in Hindu philosophy)
Advika unique, one of a kind
Amandeep lamp of peace (Punjabi aman, 'peace', plus deep, 'lamp')
Amara eternal, immortal
Amit immeasurable, boundless
Ananya unique, without equal
Anaya caring, compassionate
Anika grace; sweet-faced
Anil wind, air (a name of the wind god Vayu)
Ankit marked, inscribed
Archana honoring, praise (a Hindu rite of worship)
Arjun bright, shining (hero of the Mahabharata)
Arnav ocean, sea
Asha hope
Ashwin horse lord (the Ashvins are the twin gods of dawn and dusk)
Avani the earth
Chandra moon (the Hindu moon deity)
Deepa lamp, light
Dev god, deity
Diya lamp, light
Ganesh lord of the hosts (the elephant-headed deity, remover of obstacles)
Gaurav dignity, importance
Hari one of the names of the god Vishnu
Harish lord Hari (a name of Vishnu)
Ila earth (a Vedic goddess)
Indira beauty, splendor (an epithet of the goddess Lakshmi)
Ira Sanskrit "the Earth", in Puranic tradition the mother of all vegetation; a modern Indian feminine name
Ishaan the sun; another name for the god Shiva
Ishita supremacy, mastery
Jaya victory (a name associated with the goddess Durga)
Kabir great, powerful (also the name of the 15th-century mystic poet)
Kamala lotus
Kavya poetry
Kiaan grace of god (a modern coinage)
Krishna dark, black (name of the Hindu deity Krishna, avatar of Vishnu)
Lakshmi one of the names of the goddess Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and fortune
Manish thought, wisdom
Manisha thought, wisdom (feminine of Manish)
Meena fish (Pisces in Hindu astrology)
Meera devotee (after the mystic poet-saint Meera Bai)
Myra an English spelling some families borrow for Meera (Sanskrit mīra, "sea, ocean")
Nalini lotus
Naveen new, fresh
Nirvaan liberation, enlightenment
Nitin guided by right conduct
Ojas vitality, inner strength
Pallavi budding leaf, new shoot
Pari fairy, angel
Pavan wind, purification (a name of the god Vayu)
Pooja worship, the daily rite of devotion
Pratyush from Sanskrit pratyusha, 'dawn, daybreak'; India named its weather supercomputer Pratyush
Preeti joy, love
Priya beloved
Radhika successful; beloved of the god Krishna
Rajesh king of kings, ruler
Rajiv the blue lotus (literally 'striped')
Rakesh lord of the full moon
Rani queen
Ravi sun (the Hindu sun deity)
Reyansh a ray of light; part of the divine
Ritu season, the turning of the year
Riya singer; graceful
Rudra a fierce, storm form of the god Shiva
Saanvi goddess Lakshmi
Sandeep blazing, a kindled light
Sanjay completely victorious, triumphant; modern form of Sanjaya
Sanjeev living, reviving
Sarojini lotus (name of the poet and activist Sarojini Naidu)
Seema boundary, limit
Shanti peace, tranquility
Shilpa art, craft, skill
Shiv auspicious one (the Hindu deity Shiva)
Sita furrow (heroine of the Ramayana, wife of Rama)
Sneha love, tenderness
Sonal golden (from sona, 'gold')
Sri radiance, beauty and prosperity; also a title of respect and a short form of longer names in South Indian and Indonesian use
Surya the sun (Vedic solar deity)
Swati the star Arcturus in Indian astronomy
Tejas brilliance, splendor
Uma tranquility (another name for the goddess Parvati)
Usha dawn (the Vedic goddess of dawn)
Vedant the essence and end of the Vedas (a philosophical school)
Vidya knowledge, learning (a name of the goddess Saraswati)
Vihaan dawn, morning
Vikram valor, prowess (name of the legendary king Vikramaditya)
Vinay modesty, good guidance
Vivaan full of life
Vivek wisdom, discernment
Yuvan young, youthful
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