Word meaning of indian names

Aamir 1 عامر m Arabic, Urdu
Alternate transcription of Arabic عامر (see ‘Aamir), as well as the usual Urdu transcription.

Aarti आरती f Indian, Hindi, Marathi
From the name of a Hindu ritual in which offerings of lamps or candles are made to various gods, derived from Sanskrit आरात्रिक (aratrika).

Abbas عبّاس m Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Means «austere» in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet Muhammad’s uncle. It was also borne by a son of Ali, the fourth caliph.

Abha आभा f Indian, Hindi
Means «splendour, light» in Sanskrit.

Abrar ابرار, আবরার f & m Arabic, Urdu, Bengali
Means «virtuous» in Arabic. It is typically feminine in the Arab world, and typically masculine in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Adil عادل m Arabic, Turkish, Urdu, Uyghur
Means «fair, honest, just» in Arabic, from the root عَدَلَ (‘adala) meaning «to act justly». This name was borne by several sultans of Bijapur.

Aditi अदिति, अदिती, অদিতি, ಅದಿತಿ f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
Means «boundless, entire» or «freedom, security» in Sanskrit. This is the name of an ancient Hindu goddess of the sky and fertility. According to the Vedas she is the mother of the gods.

Adnan عدنان m Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian, Urdu
Means «settler» in Arabic. According to tradition, Adnan was an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad and the northern Arabian tribes.

Agni 1 अग्नि m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi
Means «fire» in Sanskrit. This is the name of the ancient Hindu fire god, usually depicted as red-skinned with three legs, seven arms, and two faces.

Aishwarya ऐश्वर्या, ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯಾ, ഐശ്വര്യ, ஐசுவரியா f Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil
Means «prosperity, wealth» in Sanskrit. A famous bearer is the Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (1973-).

Aiza عائزہ f Urdu
Meaning unknown, possibly of Arabic origin.

Ajit अजीत, अजित, ਅਜੀਤ, অজিত m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali
Means «unconquered, invincible», from Sanskrit अ (a) meaning «not» and जित (jita) meaning «conquered». This is a name of the gods Shiva and Vishnu, and of a future Buddha.

Akanksha आकाङ्क्षा, आकांक्षा f Indian, Hindi
Means «desire, wish» in Sanskrit.

Amandeep ਅਮਨਦੀਪ m & f Indian (Sikh)
From Punjabi ਅਮਨ (aman) meaning «peace» (ultimately from Arabic) and Sanskrit दीप (dipa) meaning «lamp, light».

Amin امین m Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Derived from Arabic أمين (amin) meaning «truthful». This was the name of the sixth Abbasid caliph.

Amitabh अमिताभ m Indian, Hindi
Means «immeasurable splendour» in Sanskrit. A famous bearer is Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan (1942-).

Amrit अमृत m Indian, Hindi
Means «immortal» from Sanskrit अ (a) meaning «not» and मृत (mrta) meaning «dead». In Hindu texts it refers to a drink that gives immortality.

Anbu அன்பு m Tamil
Means «love» in Tamil.

Anima 1 अणिमा f Indian, Hindi
Means «minuteness» from Sanskrit अणिमन (animan). In yoga texts, this is the name of the ability to make oneself infinitely small so to be invisible.

Anish अनीश m Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Means «supreme, paramount, without a ruler», from the Sanskrit negative prefix अ (a) and ईश (isha) meaning «ruler, lord».

Anisha अनिशा f Indian, Hindi
Means «nightless, sleepless» in Sanskrit.

Anit अनीत m Indian, Hindi
Possibly means «not guided» in Sanskrit.

Ansar انصار m Arabic, Urdu
Means «helpers» in Arabic, referring to those who helped the Prophet Muhammad when he came to Medina.

Anuj अनुज m Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Means «born later, younger» in Sanskrit. This name is sometimes given to the younger sibling of an older child.

Anwar انور m Arabic, Urdu, Indonesian
Means «brighter, more luminous» in Arabic. This name was borne by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat (1918-1981), who was assassinated three years after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Apurva अपूर्व, अपूर्वा m & f Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Means «unpreceded, new» in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form अपूर्व and the feminine form अपूर्वा.

Arijit অরিজিৎ m Bengali
Means «conquering enemies» in Sanskrit.

Aritra অরিত্র m Bengali
From Sanskrit अरित्र (aritra) meaning «propelling, an oar».

Aruna अरुण, अरुणा, అరుణ, அருணா, ಅರುಣ, അരുണ m & f Hinduism, Indian, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi
Means «reddish brown, dawn» in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Aruna (अरुण) is the charioteer who drives the sun god Surya across the sky. The modern feminine form अरुणा is also transcribed as Aruna, however the modern masculine form is Arun.

Arundhati अरुन्धती, अरुंधती f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi
The name of a star (also called Alcor), which was named after a type of climbing plant, possibly meaning «not restrained» in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief it is the name of the sage Vasishtha’s wife, who is identified with the star.

Arushi अरुषी, आरुषी, आरुषि f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi
From Sanskrit अरुष (arusha) meaning «reddish, dawn», a word used in the Rigveda to describe the red horses of Agni. This name also appears in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata belonging to a daughter of Manu and the wife of Chyavana, though in this case it might derive from Sanskrit आरुषी (arushi) meaning «hitting, killing».

Arya 1 आर्य, आर्या, ആര്യ, ആര്യാ m & f Persian, Indian, Hindi, Malayalam
From an old Indo-Iranian root meaning «Aryan, noble». In India, this is a transcription of both the masculine form आर्य and the feminine form आर्या. In Iran it is only a masculine name.

Ashwin अश्विन, அசுவின், அஸ்வின், అశ్విన్, ಅಶ್ವಿನ್ m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit अश्विन् (ashvin) meaning «possessed of horses». The Ashvins are twin Hindu gods of the sunrise and sunset.

Avanti अवन्ती f Indian, Hindi
From the name of an ancient kingdom of central India that had its capital at Ujjain.

Ayaan 1 अयान m Indian, Hindi
From Sanskrit अयान (ayana) meaning «not moving» or «natural disposition» or अयन (ayana) meaning «path» or «precession».

Ayan অয়ন m Bengali
Means «road, path, solar path» in Bengali, from Sanskrit अयन (ayana) meaning «path» or «precession».

Ayaz ایاز m Turkish, Azerbaijani, Urdu
From Turkish and Azerbaijani ayaz meaning «frost» or «dry and cold air». This was the name of a slave and later companion of the 11th-century sultan Mahmud of Ghazni.

Azhar اظہر m Arabic, Urdu, Malay
Means «shining, brilliant, bright» in Arabic, derived from the root زهر (zahara) meaning «to shine».

Aziz عزیز m Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tajik
Means «powerful, respected, beloved», derived from Arabic عزّ (‘azza) meaning «to be powerful» or «to be cherished». In Islamic tradition العزيز (al-‘Aziz) is one of the 99 names of Allah. A notable bearer of the name was Al-‘Aziz, a 10th-century Fatimid caliph.

Babur بابر m Urdu
From a Persian word meaning «tiger». This was the nickname of Zahir ud-Din Muhammad, the 16th-century founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

Bahadur बहादुर m Indian, Hindi, Nepali
From Persian بهادر (bahador), itself from Turkic bagatur meaning «hero, warrior». This was the name of rulers of the Mughal Empire.

Bala 1 बाल, बाला, பாலா m & f Hinduism, Tamil
Means «young» in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form बाल and the feminine form बाला (a minor Hindu goddess).

Balwinder ਬਲਵਿੰਦਰ m & f Indian (Sikh)
From Sanskrit बल (bala) meaning «strength, might» combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra.

Bilal بلال m Arabic, Turkish, Urdu
Means «wetting, moistening» in Arabic. This was the name of a companion of the Prophet Muhammad.

Chanda चण्ड, चण्डा m & f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi
Means «fierce, hot, passionate» in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form चण्ड and the feminine form चण्डा (an epithet of the Hindu goddess Durga).

Chandra चन्द्र, चन्द्रा, চন্দ্র, চন্দ্ৰ, चंद्रा, చంద్ర, சந்திரா, ಚಂದ್ರ m & f Hinduism, Bengali, Indian, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Nepali
Means «moon» in Sanskrit, derived from चन्द (chand) meaning «to shine». This is a transcription of the masculine form चण्ड (a name of the moon in Hindu texts, which is often personified as a deity) as well as the feminine form चण्डा.

Chandrakant चंद्रकांत, चन्द्रकान्त m Indian, Marathi, Hindi
Means «beloved by the moon», derived from Sanskrit चन्द्र (chandra) meaning «moon» and कान्त (kanta) meaning «desired, beloved». This is another name for the moonstone.

Danish دانش m Urdu
From Persian دانش (danesh) meaning «knowledge, learning».

Dayaram दयाराम m Indian, Hindi
Means «compassion of Rama», from Sanskrit दया (daya) meaning «compassion» combined with the name of the god Rama 1.

Debdas দেবদাস m Bengali
Bengali form of Devadas. This is the name of a 1917 novel by the Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Devadas देवदास m Indian, Hindi
Means «servant of the gods» from Sanskrit देव (deva) meaning «god» and दास (dasa) meaning «servant».

Devi देवी, தேவி f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Tamil
Derived from Sanskrit देवी (devi) meaning «goddess». Devi is the Hindu mother goddess who manifests herself as all other goddesses.

Devika देविका f Indian, Hindi
Means «little goddess» from Sanskrit देवी (devi) meaning «goddess» and क (ka) meaning «little».

Diksha दीक्षा f Indian, Hindi
Means «preparation for a religious ceremony» in Sanskrit.

Durai துரை m Tamil
Means «chief, leader» in Tamil.

Durga दुर्गा, దుర్గ, துர்கா, দুর্গা f & m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Nepali, Telugu
Means «unattainable» in Sanskrit. Durga is a Hindu warrior goddess, the fierce, twelve-armed, three-eyed form of the wife of Shiva. She is considered an incarnation of Parvati.

Ezhil எழில் m & f Tamil
Means «beauty» in Tamil.

Farid فرید, ফরিদ m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Bengali
Means «unique, precious», derived from Arabic فرد (farada) meaning «to be unique». This was the name of a 13th-century Persian poet.

Fatema ফাতেমা f Arabic, Bengali
Alternate transcription of Arabic فاطمة (see Fatimah), as well as a common Bengali transcription.

Fatima فاطمہ f Arabic, Urdu
Alternate transcription of Arabic فاطمة (see Fatimah), as well as the usual Urdu transcription.

Firdaus فردوس m & f Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Urdu
Derived from the Arabic word فردوس (firdaws) meaning «paradise», ultimately from an Iranian language, akin to Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌⸱𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬰𐬀 (pairi daēza) meaning «garden, enclosure».

Furqan فرقان m Arabic, Urdu
Means «criterion between right and wrong» or «proof» in Arabic. This is the name of the 25th chapter (surah al-Furqan) of the Quran.

Gargi गार्गी, গার্গী f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Bengali
Meaning unknown. This was the name of a 7th-century BC Indian philosopher who appears in the Upanishads, which are parts of Hindu scripture.

Gauri गौरी f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Means «white» in Sanskrit. This is a Hindu goddess, another name of Parvati the wife of Shiva, so named because of her fair complexion.

Gayatri गायत्री f Hinduism, Indian, Marathi, Hindi
From Sanskrit गायत्र (gayatra), which refers to a type of song or hymn with a particular meter. It is also the name of a Hindu goddess who is a personification of this song.

Geevarghese ഗീവർഗീസ്, ഗീവർഗ്ഗീസ് m Indian (Rare), Malayalam (Rare)
Malayalam form of George, used by Saint Thomas Christians in the Indian state of Kerala (mainly when referring to the saint).

Ghulam غلام m Arabic, Urdu, Pashto
Means «servant, boy» in Arabic. It is often used as the first part of compound names.

Gita 1 गीता, গীতা f Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Nepali
Means «song» in Sanskrit. The word appears in the name of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text of Hinduism (meaning «divine song»).

Gobind गोविन्द, ਗੋਬਿੰਦ m Indian (Sikh), Hindi
Variant of Govinda used in northern India. This was the name of the last Sikh guru, Gobind Singh (1666-1708).

Gohar گوہر f & m Persian, Armenian, Urdu
From Persian گوهر (gohar) meaning «jewel, gemstone». This name is typically feminine in Iran and Armenia, but masculine in Pakistan.

Gul گُل m & f Urdu, Pashto
Means «flower, rose» in Urdu and Pashto, ultimately from Persian.

Gulbadan گُلبدن f Urdu (Rare)
Means «having a body like a rose» in Persian. This was the name of a daughter of the Mughal emperor Babur.

Gulrukh گُلرخ f Urdu
Means «rose faced» in Persian. This was the name of a wife of the Mughal emperor Babur.

Hafsa حفصہ f Arabic, Urdu, Turkish
Means «gathering» in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of Umar, the second caliph, and a wife of Muhammad. It was also borne by the influential mother of Süleyman the Magnificent.

Hamid 1 حمید m Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Means «praiseworthy» in Arabic, from the root حَمِدَ (hamida) meaning «to praise». In Islamic tradition الحميد (al-Hamid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.

Hamida হামিদা f Arabic, Bengali
Alternate transcription of Arabic حميدة (see Hamidah), as well as the usual Bengali transcription.

Hari हरि, हरी, ஹரி, హరి, ಹರಿ, ഹരി m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali
Means «brown, yellow, tawny» in Sanskrit, and by extension «monkey, horse, lion». This is another name of the Hindu god Vishnu, and sometimes of Krishna. It is also borne by the son of the Garuda, the bird-like mount of Vishnu.

Haris 1 حارث m Bosnian, Urdu, Arabic
Bosnian and Urdu form of Harith, as well as an alternate transcription of the Arabic name.

Harsha हर्ष, ಹರ್ಷ, హర్ష m Indian, Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit
Means «happiness» in Sanskrit. This was the name of a 7th-century emperor of northern India. He was also noted as an author.

Hasan حسن, হাসান m Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Indonesian, Albanian
Means «handsome» in Arabic, from the root حَسُنَ (hasuna) meaning «to be beautiful, to be good». Hasan was the son of Ali and the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. He was poisoned by one of his wives and is regarded as a martyr by Shia Muslims. This was also the name of two kings of Morocco. It is sometimes transcribed as Hassan, though this is a distinct name in Arabic.

Hashim ہاشم m Arabic, Urdu, Malay
Means «crusher, breaker» in Arabic. This was the nickname of a great-grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad. He acquired this nickname because of his practice of crumbling bread and giving it to pilgrims.

Hassan حسّان m Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Means «beautifier, improver» in Arabic. Hassan ibn Thabit was a 7th-century poet who was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. This name is sometimes transcribed as Hasan, though the two names are spelled distinctly in Arabic.

Hayat حیات f & m Arabic, Persian, Urdu
Means «life» in Arabic, from حيي (hayiya) meaning «to live». In Arabic and Persian it is a feminine name, while in Urdu it is masculine.

Hira ہیرا, ਹੀਰਾ, હીરા, हीरा f & m Urdu, Nepali, Punjabi, Indian, Gujarati, Hindi
Derived from Sanskrit हीर (hira) meaning «diamond». It is typically feminine in Pakistan and unisex in India and Nepal.

Humaira حمیرا f Arabic, Urdu
Alternate transcription of Arabic حميراء (see Humayra), as well as the usual Urdu transcription.

Ila इला f Indian, Hindi
Means «earth» or «speech» in Sanskrit.

Sift through hundreds of options for giving your baby boy or girl an Indian name, whether you’re into traditional or modern names. This list of Indian names includes masculine, feminine, and unisex monikers.

Indian Names For Girls (Feminine)

Abha — Splendor, light

Aditi — Boundless, freedom

Aisha — Alive

Aishwarya — Prosperity, wealth

Akanksha — Desire, wish

Amala — Clean, pure

Amandeep — Peace

Amardeep — Immortal, light

Amarjeet — Immortal, victory

Anima — Minuteness

Anisha — Nightless, sleepless

Anjali — Salutation

Aparajita — Unconquered

Aparna — Leafless

Apurva — New, unpreceded

Aradhana — Worship

Archana — Praising

Aruna — Reddish brown

Arushi — Hitting, killing

Arya — Aryan, noble

Asha — Wish, desire, hope

Avani — Earth

Azra — Virgin

Bala — Young.

Balwinder — Strength, might

Bhavana — Producing, manifesting.

Chanda — Fierce, hot, passionate

Chandra — Moon

Devi — Goddess

Devika — Little goddess.

Diksha — Preparation for a religious ceremony

Dipa — Light, light

Dipali — Row of lamps

Dipti — Brightness, light

Disha — Region, direction

Divya — Divine, heavenly

Diya — lamp, light

Drishti — Sight

Durga — Unattainable

Esha — Desire, wish

Ezhil — Beauty

Fariha — Happy

Gauri — White

Gita — Song

Grishma — Summer

Gul — Flower, rose

Gulbadan — Having a body like a rose

Gulrukh — Rose faced

Gurdeep — Teacher, guru

Gurmeet — Friend

Hema — Golden

Ila — Earth, speech

Inderpal — Protector of Indra

Indira — Beauty

Indrani — Queen of Indra

Indu — Bright drop

Indumathi — Full moon

Isha — Master

Ishani — Ruling, possessing

Ishita — Supremacy

Jaswinder — Fame, praise, glory

Jaya — Victory

Jayashri — Goddess of victory

Jyoti — Light

Jyotsna — Moonlight

Kajal — Lotion for the eyes

Kala — Art form, virtue

Kali — The black one

Kalpana — Imagining, fantasy

Kalyani — Beautiful, lovely, auspicious

Kamakshi — Love, desire

Kamala — Lotus

Kamani — Desirable

Kanchana — Golden

Kanta — Desire, beautiful

Kanti — Beauty

Karishma — Miracle

Kashi — Shining

Kaur — Princess

Kavita — Poem

Khurshid — Shining sun

Khushi — Happiness

Kiran — Dust

Kirtida — One who bestows fame

Laboni — Beauty, loveliness, charm

Lakshmi — Sign, mark

Lalita — Playful, charming, desirable

Lata — Vine, creeping plant

Lavanya — Beauty, grace

Lila — Play, amusement

Lilavati — Amusing, charming, graceful

Lina — Absorbed, united

Madhu — Sweet, honey

Madhur — Sweet

Madhuri — Sweetness

Mala — Necklace

Malati— Jasmine

Malani — Fragrant

Mandeep — Mind, intellect, spirit

Manjeet — Victory, conquering

Manju — Lovely, beautiful

Manjula — Pleasing, beautiful

Manjusha — Small box, small chest

Maya — Illusion

Mina — Fish

Minali — Fish catcher

Mira — Sea, ocean

Mitra — Friend

Mohini — Infatuating

Mridula — Soft, delicate, gentle

Mukta — Liberated, set free

Nalini — Lotus

Namrata — Bowing, humility

Nandita — Joy

Nasim — breeze

Nasrin — Wild rose

Navdeep — New, fresh

Navneet — Eternal

Neha — Love, tenderness

Nida — Call, proclaim

Nikita — House, habitation

Nila — Dark blue

Nirupama — Unequaled, matchless

Nisha — Night

Nishat — Energetic, lively

Nitika — Guidance, moral conduct

Nitya — Always, eternal

Nur — Light

Padma — Lotus

Padmini — Many lotuses

Parvati — Of the mountains

Prachi — Eastern, ancient

Pratibha — Light, splendor, intelligence

Pratima — Image, likeness, reflection

Pritha — The palm of the hand

Priti — Pleasure, joy, love

Priya — Beloved

Priyanka — Agreeable, amiable

Puja — Honor, worship

Purnima — Full moon

Pushpa — Flower

Rachana — Creation, preparation

Radha — Success

Rajani — The dark one

Rajkumari — Princess

Rajni — Queen

Rani — Queen

Rashmi — Ray of sunlight

Rati — Rest, pleasure

Ratna — jewel, treasure

Reshmi — Silk

Reva — One that moves

Richa — Praise, verse, sacred text

Rina — Melted

Ritka — Movement, stream, brass

Ritu — Season, period

Riya — Singer

Roshan — Light, bright

Roshni — Light, brightness

Rupa — Shape, form

Rupinder — Greatest beauty

Sabeen — Follower of another religion

Saira — Traveler

Sakshi — Witness

Sandhya — Twilight

Sanjana — Uniting, joining

Saraswati — Possessing water

Sarita — Flowing

Savitri — Relating to the sun

Shabnam — Dew

Shahnaz — Pride of the king

Shailaja — Daughter of the mountain

Shakti — Power

Shakuntala — Bird

Shanta — Pacified, Calm

Shanti — Quiet, peace, tranquility

Sharmila — Protection, comfort, joy

Shashi — Having a hare

Shikha — Crest, peak

Shila — Conduct, disposition, character

Shivali — Beloved of Shiva

Shobha — Brilliance

Shreya — Superior, best

Shweta — White

Shyama — Dark, black, blue

Siddhi — Accomplishment, success, attainment

Sima — Boundary, limit

Sita — Furrow

Sitara — Star

Sneha — Love, tenderness

Sona — Gold

Sonal — Good color

Sonam — Virtuous

Sukhdeep — Pleasant, happy

Sulabha — Easy, simple, natural

Sultana — Ruler

Suman — Well-disposed

Sumati — Wise, good mind

Sunita — Well conducted, wise

Suniti — Good conduct

Sushila — Good-tempered, well-disposed

Swapna — Sleep, dream

Swarna — Good color

Tanu — Slender

Tanvi — Slender woman

Tara — Star

Tejal — Brilliance, splendor

Thamarai — Lotus

Trishna — Thirst, desire

Uma — Flax

Upasana — Worship, devotion

Urvi — Wide

Uttara — North

Vaishnavi — Belonging to Vishnu

Varsha — Rain

Vasuda — Granting wealth

Vasudha — Producer of wealth

Vasundhara — Possessor of wealth

Veda — Knowledge

Vidya — Knowledge, science, learning

Vijaya — Victory

Indian Names For Boys (Masculine)

Abbas — Austere

Abdul — Servant of the powerful

Abhay — Fearless

Abhijit — Victorious

Abhilash — Desire, wish

Abhinav — Young, fresh

Abhishek — Anointing

Adil — Fair, honest

Aditya — Belonging to Aditi

Adnan — Settler

Agni — Fire

Ahmad — More commendable

Ajay — Unconquered

Ajit — Invincible

Akash — Open space

Akbar — Greater, greatest

Akhil — Whole, complete

Akshay — Undecaying

Ali — Lofty, sublime

Amandeep — Lamp, light

Amar — Immortal

Amardeep — Immortal

Amarjeet — Victory, conquering

Amin — Truthful

Amir — Commander, prince

Amit — Immeasurable, infinite

Amitabh — Immeasurable splendor

Amrit — Immortal

Anand — Happiness, bliss

Anbu — Love

Anik — Army

Aniket — Homeless

Anil — Air, wind

Aniruddha — Unobstructed, Ungovernable

Anish — Supreme, paramount

Ankit — Marked

Ankur — Sapling

Anuj — Born later, younger

Anup — Watery

Anupam — Incomparable, matchless

Apurva — Upreceded, new

Aravind — Lotus

Arif — Learned, expert

Arijit — Conquering enemies

Aritra — Propelling

Aruna — Reddish brown

Arya — Aryan, noble

Asad — Lion

Ashwin — Possessed of horses

Asim — Boundless, limitless

Aswathi — Sacred fig tree

Avinash — Indestructible

Azad — Free

Azhar — Shining, bright

Aziz — Powerful, respected, beloved

Babur — Tiger

Bala — Young

Balakrishna — Strength, might

Balwinder — Strength, might

Bilal — Wetting, moistening

Chanda — Fierce, hot, passionate

Chandan — Sandalwood

Chandra — Moon

Chandrakant — Beloved by the moon

Chetan — Visible, conscious, soul

Chiranjvi — Long-lived

Darshan — Seeing, observing, understanding

Dayaram — Compassion of Rama

Dev — God

Devadas — Servant of the gods

Dhananjay — Winning wealth

Dharma — Law, duty, virtue

Dhaval — Dazzling white

Durai — Chief, leader

Durga — Unattainable

Eshil — Beauty

Farhan — Happy, cheerful

Farid — Unique, precious

Ghulam — Servant boy

Govinda — Cow finder

Gul — Flower, rose

Gurdeep — Teacher, guru

Gurmeet — Teacher, guru

Hardeep — Lamp, light

Hari — Brown, yellow, tawny

Harsha — Happiness

Harshad — Happiness

Harshal — Happiness

Hasan — Handsome

Hassan — Improver

Imtiyaz — Distinction

Inderpal — Protector of Indra

Indra — Possessing drops of rain

Indrajit — Conquerer of Indra

Isha — Master, lord

Jagit — World, universe

Jahangir — World conqueror

Jaswinder — Fame, praise, glory

Javed — Eternal

Jaya — Victory

Jayanta — Victorious

Jayendra — Lord of victory

Jayesh — Lord of victory

Jaywant — Possessing victory

Jitendra — Conqueror of Indra

Jyoti — Light

Kailash — Crystal

Kali — The black one

Kalyan — Beautiful, lovely, auspicious

Kamala — Lotus

Kanta — Desired, beautiful

Kanti — Beauty

Karan — Clever, skillful

Kavi — Wise man, sage, poet

Khan — King, ruler

Khurshd — Shining sun

Kiran — Dust, thread, sunbeam

Kishor — Colt

Krishna — Black, dark

Kshitij — Born of the earth

Kuldeep — Lamp, light

Lakshmi — Sign, mark

Lal — Boy

Lochan — The eye

Madhu — Sweet, honey

Madhukar — Bee, honey-maker

Madhur — Sweet

Mahendra — Great

Mahmud — Praiseworthy

Mamun — Trustworthy

Manas — Mind, intellect, spirit

Mandeep — Mind, intellect, spirit

Mani — Jewel

Maninder — Mind, intellect, spirit

Manish — Thought, wisdom

Manjeet — Mind, intellect, spirit

Manu — Thinking, wise

Maqsud — Intention, aim

Maruf — Favor, kindness

Mayur — Peacock

Mitra — Friend

Mitul — Measured

Mohandas — Servant of Mohana

Muhammad — Praiseworthy

Mukul — Bud, blossom

Murad — Wish, desire

Murali – Flute

Murugan — Youth

Nadim — Drinking companion

Nagendra — Lord of snakes

Nanda — Joy

Narayana — Path of man

Narendra — Lord of men

Nasim — Breeze

Navdeep — Lamp, light

Navin — New

Navneet — New, fresh

Nikhil — Whole, entire

Nilam — Dark blue, sapphire

Ninad — Sound, hum

Niraj — Water-born

Nirav — Quiet, silent

Nirmal — Clean, pure

Nishant — Night’s end, dawn

Nishat — Energetic, lively

Nitin — Guidance, moral conduct

Nitya — Always, eternal

Nur — Light

Padma — Lotus

Pallav — Budding leaf

Parminder — Highest, best

Partha — Son of Pritha

Prabhat — Shining forth, morning

Prabhu — Mighty, powerful, master

Prabodh — Awakening

Pradip — Light, lantern

Prakash — Light, bright, shining

Pran — Breath

Pranay — Leader, guidance, love

Prasad — Brightness, clearness, graciousness

Prasanna — Clear, bright, tranquil

Prasenjit — Conqueror of an expert army

Pratap — Heat, splendor, glory

Pratik — Look, appearance

Pravin — Skilled

Prem — Love, affection

Punit — Cleaned, purified

Qasim — Share, Divide

Radha — Success

Rafiq — Friend, gentle

Raghu — Swift

Rahul — Able, efficient

Raj — Empire, royalty

Raja — King, ruler

Rajani — The dark one

Rajendra — Lord of kings

Rajesh — Ruler of kings

Rajib — Striped

Rajnish — Lord of the night

Rakesh — Lord of the full moon

Rama — Pleasing, beautiful

Ramachandra — Moon

Rana — King

Ranjit — Colored, pleased, delighted

Rashmi — Ray of sunlight, rope

Ratna — Jewel, treasure

Ravi — Sun

Ravindra — Lord of the sun

Rishi — Sage, poet

Rohan — Ascending

Rohit — Red

Roshan — Light, bright

Rupinder — Greatest beauty

Sachin — True, real

Samir — Wind, air

Sandip — Blazing

Sanjit — Complete victory

Sanjiv — Living, reviving

Saral — Straight

Sardar — Chief, leader

Sarvesh — Ruler of all

Shahid — Witness

Shahjahan — King of the world

Shahnaz — Pride of the king

Shahzad — Prince

Shakti — Power

Shandar — Fabulous

Shantanu — Wholesome

Sharif — Eminent, virtous

Sharma — Protection, comfort, joy

Shashi — Having a hare

Shekar — Crest, peak

Sher — Lion

Shiva — Benign, kind, auspicious

Shresth — Most excellent, best

Shrinivas — The abode of Shri

Shrivatsa — Beloved of Shri

Shyama — Dark, black, blue

Shyamal — Dark, black, blue

Siddhartha — One who has accomplished a goal

Singh — Lion

Sonam — Virtuous

Subhash — Eloquent

Subrahmanya — Good

Sudarshan — Beautiful, good-looking

Sudhir — Good

Suahil — Level, even

Sujay — Great victory

Sukhbir — Pleasant, happy

Sukhdeep — Pleasant, happy

Sultan — Ruler, king

Suman — Well-disposed

Sumantra — Following good advice

Sumit — Well measured

Sunil — Good

Suraj — Sun

Surendra — Lord of gods

Surya — Sun

Sushila — Good-tempered

Swapan — Sleeping, dreaming

Swapnil — Sleep, dream

Swarna — Good color

Tamanna — Wish, desire

Tushar — Cold, frost, snow

Uttara — North

Vasu — Bright, excellent

Vijaya — Victory

Vimal — Clean, pure, spotless

Vinay — Leading, guidance, modesty

Vipin — Forest

Vipul — Large, extensive, plenty

Vishal — Wide, broad, spacious

Vishnu — All-pervasive

Vivek — Wisdom, distinction

Yash — Fame, praise, glory

Yasir — To be rich

Zafar — Victory

Zahid — Pious, devout

Zahir — Helper, supporter

Zaman — Time, age, era

Zawar — Pilgrim, visitor

Indian names are based on a variety of systems and naming conventions, which vary from region to region. Names are also influenced by religion and caste and may come from epics. India’s population speaks a wide variety of languages and nearly every major religion in the world has a following in India. This variety makes for subtle, often confusing, differences in names and naming styles. Due to historical Indian cultural influences, several names across South and Southeast Asia are influenced by or adapted from Indian names or words.^{[citation needed]}

In some cases, Indian birth name is different from their official name; the birth name starts with a selected name from the person’s horoscope (based on the nakshatra or lunar mansion corresponding to the person’s birth).

Many children are given three names, sometimes as a part of religious teaching.

Pronunciation[edit]

When written in Latin script, Indian names may use the vowel characters to denote sounds different from conventional American or British English. Although some languages, like Kannada or Tamil may have different vowel sounds, the ones used in most major Indian languages are represented in this table along with typical English transcriptions.

IPA	ə/ɔ	aː	ɪ	iː	ʊ	uː	eː	ɛː/əɪ/ɔi	o	ɔː/əʊ/ou
English transcription	a	a	i	ee	u	oo	e	ai	o	au/ou

Furthermore, the letters used in English /t/ and /d/ that are used to represent the retroflex stops /ʈ/ and /ɖ/, are also used to represent dental stops /t̪/ and /d̪/ (as in Tenginkai or Rohit), especially when they occur in the onset of a word. As an example, the Indian name ‘Dev’ would not have its first consonant pronounced as in the American name ‘Dave’. Similarly the name ‘Tarun’ would not have its first consonant sounded as in ‘Tom’.

The letter ‘h’ is used to represent aspirated consonants. So, in the names ‘Khare’, ‘Ghanshyam’, ‘Kaccha’, ‘Jhumki’, ‘Vitthal’, ‘Ranchodh’, ‘Uddhav’, ‘Phaneesh’, and ‘Bhanu,’ the ‘h’ means the sound before it should be pronounced with a strong outward breath (see Aspirated consonant for more on this). These names are more likely to be found in places that speak an Indo-Aryan language like Bhojpuri or Gujarati.

Names by culture[edit]

Assamese[edit]

Assamese names follow the First name—Middle name—Surname or First name—Surname pattern.

Bengali[edit]

Bengali names follow First name—Middle name—Surname pattern, as seen with Subhas Chandra Bose.

Bengali Brahmin surnames include Acharya, Banerjee, Bagchi, Bhaduri, Bhattacharjee, Chakraborty, Chatterjee, Ganguly, Goswami, Ghoshal, Lahiri, Maitra, Mukherjee, Sanyal, etc. A Brahmin name is often the name of the clan or gotra, but can be an honorific, such as Chakraborty or Bhattacharya.

Common Baidya surnames are Sengupta, Dasgupta, Duttagupta, Gupta, Das-Sharma, and Sen-Sharma.^{[citation needed]}

Bengali Kayastha surnames include Basu, Bose, Dutta, Ghosh, Choudhury, Guha, Mitra, Singh/Sinha, Pal, De/Dey/Deb/Dev, Palit, Chanda/Chandra, Das, Dam, Kar, Nandi, Nag, Som etc.^[1]

Odia[edit]

Odia names follow the First name—Middle name—Surname or First name—Surname pattern.

Odia surnames come from caste based on human occupation. For example, the common surnames Kar, Mohapatra, and Dash (as opposed to Das) are Brahmin surnames. Similarly, Misra/Mishra, Nanda, Rath, Shatapathi, Panigrahi, and Tripathi are all Brahmin surnames. Das and Sahu are Karan, others are Samant Singh, Sundaraya, Jagdev, Baliarsingh, Harichandan, Manraj, Mardraj, Senapati, Srichandan, Pratihari, Chhotray, Patasani, Parida, Samal, Nayak, and Muduli.

Goan[edit]

Konkani people inhabiting Goa, and also Konkan regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra, use First name — Middle name — Village name/Surname pattern. Generally, the first name is followed by the father’s name, though this is now mostly observed by Hindus, who are traditionally patriarchal.^[2]

Village names were used only after the arrival of the Portuguese, when the people migrated from their ancestral villages. A suffix kar or hailing from was attached to the village name.^[3]

Many of the originally Hindu residents were converted to Catholicism by the Portuguese. Almost all of the Konkani Catholics have Portuguese surnames like Rodrigues, Fernandes, Pereira and D’Souza.^[4][5] Catholic families belonging to the Roman Catholic Brahmin (Bamonn) caste use lusophonised versions of Hindu surnames like Prabhu, Bhat, etc.^[6]

Gujarati[edit]

Gujarati names follow a pattern of Given name, Father’s given name, Surname. The last name is commonly a caste name. For example: Narendra Damodardas Modi — Narendra is his first name, Damodardas is his father’s name and Modi is his last name, which is the same as that used by his ancestors.

Upon marriage, the wife takes on the husband’s first and last names as middle and last names respectively.

Northern[edit]

Northern naming customs follow a standard pattern of First name — Middle name — Surname. Many times the middle name will be appended onto the first name, or not exist at all. Sometimes middle name would even be father’s first name. The surname is most commonly a caste name however, there are some caste-neutral surnames like Kumar. For example: Manohar Lal Khattar (Manohar is his first name, Lal is a middle name, and Khattar is a caste surname). Many women, especially in rural areas, take on the surname Devi (meaning Goddess) or Kumari (princess) when they are married (ex. Phoolan Devi, known as Phoolan Mallah before marriage). Muslims in North India use Islamic naming conventions.^[7]

Kannada[edit]

Kannada names vary by region as follows.

North Karnataka follows the First name — Father’s first name — Surname order. This system is also found in other parts of Karnataka.^{[citation needed]}

Surnames are drawn from the names of places, food items, dresses, temples, type of people, platforms, cities, professions, and so on.^[8] Surnames are drawn from many other sources.

Katti as a suffix is used for soldiers while Karadis is related to local folk art. Surnames according to trade or what they traditionally farm include Vastrad (piece of cloth), Kubasad (blouse), Menasinkai (chili), Ullagaddi (onion), Limbekai, Ballolli (garlic), Tenginkai (coconut), Byali (pulse), and Akki (rice). Surnames based on house include Doddamani (big house), Hadimani (house next to the road), Kattimani (house with a platform in its front), Bevinmarad (person having a big neem tree near his house), and Hunasimarad (person having a big tamarind tree near his house). A carpenter will have Badigar as a surname, while Mirjankar, Belagavi, Hublikar, and Jamkhandi are surnames drawn from places. Angadi (shop), Amavasya (new moon day), Kage (crow), Bandi (bullock cart), Kuri (sheep), Kudari (horse), Toppige (cap), Beegadkai (key), Pyati (market), Hanagi (comb), and Rotti (bread) are some other surnames.

In coastal Karnataka, the surnames are different in different regions. Surnames like Hegde and Hebbar belong to the Brahmin community, while other titles like Ballal, Shetty, and Rai are mostly used by the landed Bunt community. Names in coastal Karnataka have both systems Village name — Father’s name — Personal name — Surname and Personal name — Father’s name — Surname.^{[citation needed]}

Names in South Karnataka follow Village name — Father’s name — Personal name — Surname. Examples:

• H[aradanahalli] D[evegowda] Kumaraswamy: Haradanahalli is his native village, Devegowda is his father’s name, and Kumaraswamy is his given name.
• T[umkur] M[ahesh] Pranav: Tumkur is his native town, Mahesh is his father’s name, and Pranav is his given name.

For married women, it is Husband’s name — First name or the opposite (ex. Sumalatha Ambareesh, where Ambareesh is her husband’s name).^[7]

In South Karnataka, caste names are not common except among the higher castes. Kannada Brahmins have surnames like Rao, Murthy, Poojari, and Bhat. The title Gowda was a title given to any village headman, irrespective of caste, and was written as an appendage to the person’s name. For example Siddaramaiah’s father belonged to the Kuruba community but was called Siddarame Gowda. Nowadays it is mostly used as a Vokkaliga surname. Most people in South Karnataka, regardless of caste, do not use caste surnames.^{[citation needed]}

Kashmiri[edit]

Kashmiri names often follow the naming convention First name — Middle name (optional) — Family name. (For example: Jawahar Lal Nehru)

Nicknames often replace family names. Hence, some family names like Razdan and Nehru may very well be derived originally from the Kaul family tree.^[9]

Malayali[edit]

Malayali surname includes Nair, Menon, Pillai, Nambootri, Panikkar, and Kurup. Malayalis follow similar naming customs to Tamils and people in South Karnataka, using Village name — Father’s name — Personal name. Muslims also follow this system, though their first names follow the Islamic system.

Members of the Menon, Nair, and related communities often use their mother’s house name or directly add their caste name.^[10] For example, Kannoth Karunakaran, Karunakaran is his given name and Kannoth is his mother’s house name. P. K. Vasudevan Nair, Vasudevan is his given name and Nair is his caste surname.^[11] Most of the Malayalis write name as Given name — Father’s name — Father’s father’s name/house name/village name — Suriname/caste title. For instance, Shreelakshmi Dhanapalan Sadhu Kunjpilla; where Shreelakshmi is first name, Dhanapalan is middle name/father’s name, Sadhu is grandfather’s name, and Kujnpilla is surname/caste title. It might also be written as Shreelakshmi Dhanapalan S K.

Earlier times (until the 20th Century) Malayali Christians (Nasranis) were bound by only Christian names and usually used the Family/house name – Father’s name – Baptismal name naming convention. Nowadays, however, Christians have various naming conventions such as Name — Surname — Father’s Name or Name — Father’s name or Name — Surname or Name — Father’s Name — Grandfather’s Name. It can be concluded that Syrian Christian names are Patryonmic. Eg: Arackaparambil Kurien Antony, better known as A. K. Antony, who is an Indian politician and attorney and was the 23rd Defence Minister of India, here the policitcan’s name is Antony while his father’s name is Kurien, while his family name is Arackaparambil. During the 20th century some names were created by joining two or more syllables. For example, Abey (AB), Aji (AG), Bibi (BB), Biji (BG), Siby (CB) and so on. Today, several Syrian Christians name their children by Indian names like Deepak, Rahul, Neethu, Asha etc. But by the 21st century more biblical names began to reappear. Thus names like, Isaac, Joshua, David, Saul, Ezekiel, Timothy, appeared on the scene.

Marathi[edit]

Marathi people of Hindu religion follow a partially patronymic naming system. For example, it is customary to associate the father’s name with the given name. In the case of married women, the husband’s name is associated with the given name. Therefore, the constituents of a Marathi name as given name/first name, father/husband name, family name/surname. For example:

• Mahadev Govind Ranade: Here Mahadev is the given name, Govind is his father’s given name and Ranade is the surname.
• Sunil Madhav Jadhav: Here Sunil is the given name, Madhav is his father’s name and Jadhav is the surname.
• Jyotsna Mukund Khandekar: Here Jyotsna is the given name, Mukund is the husband’s given name, and Khandekar is the surname of the husband^[12]

Personal names[edit]

Marathi Hindus choose given names for their children from a variety of sources. They could be characters from Hindu mythological epics such as the Ramayana or Mahabharat, names of holy rivers such as Yamuna and Godavari, Hindu historical characters from Maratha or Indian history such as Shivaji and Ashoka, Marathi varkari saints such as Tukaram, Dnyaneshwar, Janabai, popular characters from modern Marathi literature, names of fragrant flowers for girls (e.g. Bakul, Kamal/Kamla for lotus), senses such as Madhura for sweetness, precious metals such female name Suwarna for gold, heavenly bodies such as the Sun and the Moon, Vasant and Sharad for spring and autumn respectively, names of film stars (e.g. Amit after Amitabh Bachchan) or sportsmen, and after virtues (e.g.,Vinay for modesty). Nicknames such as Dada, Bandu, Balu, Sonya and Pillu for males and Chhabu and Bebi for girls have been popular too.^[13]

Surnames[edit]

A large number of Maharashtrian surnames are derived by adding the suffix kar to the village from which the family originally hailed.^[14] For example, Junnarkar came from town of Junnar, Waghulkar comes from the town of Waghul. Names like Kumbhar, Sutar, Kulkarni, Deshpande, Deshmukh, Patil, Pawar, Desai, and Joshi denote the family’s ancestral trade or professions.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]}

Families of the historical Maratha chiefs use their clan name as their surname. Some of these are Jadhav, Bhosale, Chavan, Shinde, Shirke, More, Nimbalkar, Pawar, and Ghatge.^[22] Members of the numerically largest Maratha Kunbi cultivator class among Marathi people have also adopted some of the Maratha clan names, whether to indicate allegiance to the Maratha chief they served, or as an attempt at upward mobility.^[23]

Punjabi[edit]

Sikh names often have the following format: First name — Religious name — Family name. The religious name is always Singh for males, for example «Ravinder Singh Sahota»; and Kaur for females, examples include «Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar», «Harleen Kaur Deol», and «Manjeet Kaur Bhullar». Since Sikhism opposes castes, they do not traditionally use family names. Upon marriage, a Sikh woman will take the family name of the husband.

Sardar for males and Sardarni for females are sometimes prefixed as titles. A lot of Sikh first names can be used by both sexes.^[7]

Tamil[edit]

Tamil names usually follow this pattern: Initial (Village name) — Initial (Father’s name) — First name — Surname (Example: M.G. Ramachandran, where the M stands for Marudhur, and G stands for Gopalan, the father’s name. Another example is R. Karthik, where R stands for Ravichandran, the father’s name). There is a widespread usage of a patronym (use of the father’s given name as the last name). This means that the first name of one generation becomes the last name of the next. In many cases, the father’s given name appears as an initial and when written in full (for example, on a passport),^[24] the initial is expanded as last name. For example, a name like «R. Kumaresh» will be written in full as «or «Kumaresh Ramaiah», and refers to «Kumaresh son of Ramaiah». If Kumaresh then has a son named Vijay, then his name would be «K. Vijay» or «Vijay Kumaresh » as it would be in the West. There is also a general custom for Tamil women, after marriage to adopt their husband’s first name as their new initial or new last name instead of their father’s. A woman named K. Anitha / Anitha Kumaresh (Anitha daughter of Kumaresh) might change her name after marriage to S. Anitha / Anitha Saravanan (Anitha wife of Saravanan). However, these customs vary from family to family and are normally never carried on over successive generations.

Due to the influence of the Dravidian movement, from the 1930s, most Tamils abandoned their surnames, both in India and nations like Singapore, due to the arising consciousness that these surnames were synonymous with their caste identity, leading to social stigma.^[25][26]

More common among women, making the patronym or husband name the last name is a custom adopted by people migrating to the West, who want to be called by their first names without having to explain Indian naming conventions. However, women frequently adopt their father’s or husband’s name, and take it for successive generations.

The various Tamil caste names include Paraiyar, Vishwakarma, Aachari, Konar, Idaiyar, Reddiar, Udayar, Yadhavar, Iyengar, Iyer, Pillai, Mudaliar, Thevar, Nadar, Chettiar, Gounder, Naicker, Vanniyar etc. The naming is therefore done in the fashion: Sunitha Ram Kumar Pillai. And hence they are known to only use initials besides their name except for when caste names are given more preference by certain families rather than the family name itself.^[27][28]

Telugu[edit]

Telugu people have a different naming style from the rest of India. The family name is a genitive case, hence stands first, which is followed by personal name.^[29] This practice of placing family name first is also seen in Chinese and Hungarians.^[29]

Thus «Family name (surname), Given name» format is contrasted from North India where family name typically appears last or other parts of South India where family names are little used. This might cause confusion to varying degree within India and rest of the world.^[30]

Occasionally, caste name is also suffixed at the end. For example, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, where Neelam is the family name, Sanjiva is the given name, and Reddy is the caste name.

Occasionally, some Telugu names may follow a slightly different convention where two personal names are given along with a family name. In the name, Amara Vishnu Dev, Amara is the family name and Vishnu Dev are the given names.

Muslims however have family names expressed at the end of their names.^[31]

Personal names[edit]

Telugu people are often named after Hindu gods or goddesses.^[29]

Family names[edit]

Nearly all Telugus possess family names called «Inti peru» (lit. ‘House name’), which are the most unique of all the linguistic groups in India.^[32]

Telugu family names are often named after a place. For example, Pasupaleti after Pasupaleru, Kondaveeti after Kondaveedu, Kandukuri after Kandukur, etc. Unlike western names in which the family name is more well known than the personal name, among the Telugu given names are how people are most widely known.^[29]

Telugu family names are often abbreviated and written, e.g., P. V. Narasimha Rao, D. Ramanaidu, etc., unlike western names where given name is abbreviated.^[29]

Indexing[edit]

According to The Chicago Manual of Style, Indian names are usually indexed by the family name, with the family name separated from the other names by a comma, but indexing may differ according to the local usage and the preferences of the individual.^[33]

Global Indian influence in names[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2019)

See Indosphere, Sanskritisation, Indianization of Southeast Asia as well as Influence of Indian honorifics in Southeast Asia, influenced the Malay/Indonesian, Thai, and Filipino honorifics.

See also[edit]

• Indian honorifics
• Place names in India
• Surnames by country

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Kaushik, Devendra Kumar (2000) Cataloguing of Indic Names in AACR-2 Archived 15 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Delhi: Originals. ISBN 81-7536-187-5
• «How well do you know about the origins of some Indian Occupational Surnames?». TheBizdom. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2022.

Aabavaanan   Boy implies a person who is responsible and reliable Aabha   Girl Glow; Splendour; Light; Brilliance; Bright and Radiant; Glorious Aabharan   Boy means jewel, a variant form of name Abharan which means jewel in Sanskrit Aabhas   Boy Sense or Feelings, has a Sanskrit meaning as realization Aabhass   Boy Awareness; A variant name of Abhas which means realization Aabheer   Boy means a Cow-herd in Sanskrit, it also means one who is fearless Aabher   Boy means a Cow-herd and is variant form of name Aabheer Aachalendra   Boy The word aachalendra means Himalayas, it signifies the person to be strong, Unchallengeable Aacharappan   Boy Restless or Proactive Aacharya   Boy means Learned Teacher; a variant of Sanskrit name Acharya; Another Name of Drona Aachman   Boy Intake of a Sip of Water Before a Yagya or Puja Aachuthan   Boy another name of Hindu Lord Krishna Aad   Unisex aad in Islams means ‘The man’ and on the other hand in Sikhs it’s a girl name meaning In the beginning Aadab   Girl Name aadab has a meaning of Hope and need. The person who brings hope to the family Aadalarasan   Boy means Attraction; one who attracts with his dance; It also represents one of many Lord Shiva’s name in Tamil Aadalarasu   Boy means King of Dance in Tamil; represents Lord Shiva’s name as Nataraja who is considered the Lord of Dance Aadarsh   Boy means one who has principles in Sanskrit, ideal man; a variant form of name Adarsh Aadarsha   Girl one who is ideal, optimal, and perfect Aaddhar   Boy Foundation, Ground work of anything, Base of Life Aadeep   Boy Light, Spiritual Illumination, A source of radiance Aadesh   Boy Command; Message; means instruction in Sanskrit Aadesh   Boy an order; a command; an instruction Aadeshwar   Boy aadeshwar is a south indian name that means God, or the won who is in a high position of authority Aadh   Girl aadh as a word means Half Aadhan   Boy Be First Aadhar   Boy Base; A variant of Sanskrit name Aaddhar Aadhav   Boy Ruler — a person who rules or governs Aadhavan   Boy Sun; Brilliant Like the Sun; Lord Vishnu, A variant of name Aadavan Aadhikara   Boy Lord Shiva, A variant of Sanskrit name Adhikara which means Principal Aadhikesavan   Boy One who is Ideal for Others Aadhimulam   Boy One who is beginning of Everything, Source cause of everything Aadhinarayanan   Boy The First God; A name form of Lord Vishnu Aadhira   Girl Moon, To sentimentalize and remember nostalgically Aadhirai   Girl A Special Star Aadhiseshan   Boy Any One; it is also considered as one of many names of Lord Vishnu Aadhish   Boy King, Emperor, Ruler, Person with supreme power Aadhishankar   Boy Sri Shankaracharya; Founder of Adwaitha Philosophy ; A name formed after Lord Shiva as Shankar Aadhunik   Boy Modern; New; Latest; a name variant of Adhunik Aadhya   Girl The first power; the beginning; another name of Goddess Durga Aadi   Boy First; Most Important,Beginning; Starting; Source form of life Aadijay   Boy The First Victory ; Success; Aadimoola   Boy Supreme Being ; A variant of name Aadimoolan Aadinath   Boy God; Supreme Ruler of the Universe; The First God Aadipta   Boy Bright, Intelligent, Radiant, Luminous, Glorious Aadir   Boy Origin; Beginning; Point of space or time where anything begins; Source Aadish   Boy Full of Wisdom; Intelligent, Knowledgeable, Noble Aadishankar   Boy Shrishankaracharya; The Founder of Adwaitha Philosophy Aadishwar   Boy Aadishwar; Bhagvan; Supreme God; First Jain Tirthankara Aadit   Boy Peak; Shade; Sheltered; Bright; Radiant; Illuminate Aaditey   Boy Son of Aditi ; refers to being son of the Earth or son of Mother of God Aaditeya   Boy Son of Aditi ; refers to being son of the Earth or son of Mother of God Aadithya   Boy The Sun ; a variant name is Aaditva Aaditva   Boy The Sun ; A derivative name from name Aadithya Aadiv   Boy Delicate; sensitive; mindful to feelings of others Aadiyapadham   Boy One who is Very Active or Quick Aadrita   Girl Lots of Love Gathering; adorable; Charming; very likable for attractiveness Aadvay   Boy Unique; unparalleled; exclusive; having no like or equal Aafiya   Boy the person who has a very sound body and health Aaftab   Boy the name means sunlight or the Sun Aagam   Girl Coming; Arrival ; Holy Jain Scripture; To inherit; To acquire Aaghnya   Girl the name has a meaning of someone born from fire, it is also the name of Goddess laxmi Aagman   Boy Arrival ; Welcome; Warmly received Aagney   Boy Child of Flames; Son of the Fire God ; A variant name is Aagneya Aagneya   Boy Child of Flames; Son of Agni; Son of the Fire ; Derivative of name Aagney Aagyey   Boy Unknown; meaning something unexplored or not discovered Aahan   Boy Iron; Sword ; symbol of military power; inflexible and unrelenting power Aahir   Boy Dazzling; Brilliant; To impress deeply; Sparkling; Glittering Aahish   Boy Blessing of God Aahlaad   Boy Delight; To have great pleasure; someone who gives joy and enjoyment Aahlaadith   Boy Joyous Person ; A variant of name Aahlaad which means Delight Aahna   Girl Exist; to live; Survive; life Aahnik   Boy Prayer; an object of worship; Devote to God; act of praying to God Aahva   Boy Beloved; one who is greatly loved; Dear to heart Aahwaanith   Boy One who has Been Invited; Wanted; Something desired; wish Aaish   Boy God Blessings; bestowment by God Aakaar   Boy Shape;to evolve; to develop; A variant of name Akar Aakaash   Boy Sky Aakanksh   Boy Desire; Wish; Crave; Longing Aakar   Boy Shape, To Form, To Materialize; to evolve; to develop; A variant of name Akar Aakarsh   Boy Attraction; Beauty; Charm; allurement; Fascinating; Enticing Aakarshan   Boy Attraction; Beauty; Charm; allurement; Fascinating; Enticing Aakash   Boy The Sky Aakashdeep   Boy The Sky; Vast Like the Sky Aakav   Boy Shape, To Form, To Materialize; to evolve; to develop; A variant of name Akar Aakesh   Boy Sky ; A variant of Aakash Aakhyaan   Boy Legend; Story of Famous Person inscription Aakil   Boy Intelligent; Smart; Clever; Wise Aakriti   Boy Shape, To Form, To Materialize; to evolve; to develop ; A derivative from name Akar Aalambi   Boy Continuer Aalap   Boy Musical Prelude, Conversation, Prelude to a raga; Skilled in music Aalekh   Boy Learned; One of many names of Lord Shiva; to become informed; gain knowledge Aalhad   Boy Joy; Happiness; Good Fortune; Pleasure; Be glad; Rejoice Aalok   Boy Light, Bright; be illuminated; Radiating Aaludaiperumal   Boy Explorer of the Sea; Name in devotion of Lord Vishnu Aamani   Girl Spring season; Vasanth Ritu; Season of Flowers; Pleasant Early morning surroundings Aamir   Boy Populous, Full Prosperous, Amply Settled; Civilise Aamish   Boy The meaning of this name is the one full of enjoyment this also means food or meat Aamod   Boy Pleasure, Pleasant, Accept; Be glad; Rejoice Aanan   Boy Appearance; Face; Countenance; Approval; Permit ; Moral Support Aanandaprakash   Boy Wild Wind