Indian Origin Names

This is a list of names in which the origin is Indian.
gender
usage
origin
Pushpa f & m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali
From Sanskrit पुष्प (puṣpa) meaning "flower". This is a transcription of both the feminine form पुष्पा and the masculine form पुष्प. Especially in Nepal it is frequently masculine.
Rachana f Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Nepali
From Sanskrit रचन (racana) meaning "creation, preparation".
Rachna f Hindi, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi रचना (see Rachana).
Raj m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Means "empire, royalty", from Sanskrit राज्य (rājya).
Raja 2 m Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Indonesian
Means "king, ruler", from Sanskrit राजन् (rājan).
Rajaram m Hindi, Marathi
Means "king Rama", from Sanskrit राज (rāja) meaning "king" combined with the name Rama 1. This name was borne by a 17th-century ruler of the Maratha Empire.
Rajeev m Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali राजीव, Malayalam രാജീവ് or Tamil ராஜிவ் (see Rajiv).
Rajesh m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Means "ruler of kings" from Sanskrit राज (rāja) meaning "king" and ईश (īśa) meaning "lord, ruler".
Rajinder m & f Indian (Sikh)
Variant of Rajendra used by Sikhs.
Rajiv m Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
From Sanskrit राजीव (rājīva) meaning "striped". This is used to refer to the blue lotus in Hindu texts.
Rajkumari f Hindi
Means "princess" in Sanskrit.
Rajneesh m Hindi
Alternate transcription of Hindi रजनीश (see Rajnish).
Rajni f Hindi
Means "queen" in Sanskrit.
Rajnish m Hindi
Means "lord of the night" from Sanskrit रजनी (rajanī) meaning "night" and ईश (īśa) meaning "lord, ruler". This is another name for the moon in Hindu texts.
Rakesh m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
Means "lord of the full moon" from Sanskrit राका (rākā) meaning "full moon" and ईश (īśa) meaning "lord, ruler".
Rakhi f Hindi
From a word for a type of ritual wristband, ultimately from Sanskrit रक्ष् (rakṣ) meaning "to protect".
Ramadevi f Hindi
From the name of the Hindu goddess Rama 2 (referring to Lakshmi) combined with Sanskrit देवी (devī) meaning "goddess".
Ramakrishna m Telugu, Kannada
Combination of the names of the Hindu deities Rama 1 and Krishna. This name was borne by the Hindu religious teacher Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886).
Rambabu m Telugu
Means "father Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity Rama 1 combined with Telugu బాబు (bābu) meaning "father".
Ramdas m Marathi, Hindi
Means "servant of Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity Rama 1 combined with Sanskrit दास (dāsa) meaning "servant". This name was borne by a 17th-century Hindu holy man from Maharashtra.
Ramkrishna m Bengali, Marathi
Form of Ramakrishna more common in northern India.
Ramprasad m Bengali, Hindi, Marathi
Means "clearness of Rama" from the name of the Hindu deity Rama 1 combined with Sanskrit प्रसाद (prasāda) meaning "clearness, brightness". This name was borne by the Bengali poet Ramprasad Sen (c. 1723-1781).
Ranjeet m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
Alternate transcription of Hindi रणजीत or रंजीत, Marathi रणजित or रणजीत or Bengali রঞ্জিত (see Ranjit).
Ranjit m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
From Sanskrit रञ्जित (rañjita) meaning "coloured, pleased, delighted". A famous bearer was Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the founder of a Sikh kingdom that covered most of the Punjab and Kashmir.
Rashmi f & m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil
From Sanskrit रश्मि (raśmi) meaning "ray of sunlight, rope, cord".
Ratna f & m Hindi, Telugu, Nepali, Indonesian
Derived from Sanskrit रत्न (ratna) meaning "jewel, treasure". This is a transcription of both the feminine form रत्ना and the masculine form रत्न.
Ratnam m & f Telugu
Southern Indian variant of Ratna.
Ravinder m & f Indian (Sikh)
Variant of Ravindra used by Sikhs.
Reena f Hindi, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi रीना (see Rina 3).
Reshma f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Telugu
From Hindi रेशम (resham) meaning "silk", ultimately of Persian origin.
Reshmi f Hindi, Bengali
Means "silky", from Hindi रेशम (resham) meaning "silk", ultimately of Persian origin.
Richa f Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali
From Sanskrit ऋच (ṛc) meaning "praise, verse, sacred text".
Rina 3 f Hindi, Marathi
From Sanskrit रीण (rīṇa) meaning "melted".
Rishi m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Nepali
From Sanskrit ऋषि (ṛṣi) meaning "sage, poet", perhaps ultimately deriving from a root meaning "to see".
Ritika f Hindi
Means either "movement, stream" or "brass" in Sanskrit.
Ritu f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi
From Sanskrit ऋतु (ṛtu) meaning "season, period".
Riya f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
Means "singer" in Sanskrit.
Rohan 1 m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
Derived from Sanskrit रोहण (rohaṇa) meaning "ascension".
Rohit m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Odia, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit रोहित (rohita) meaning "red".
Roshni f Marathi, Hindi
From Hindi and Marathi रौशनी (raushanī) meaning "light, brightness", ultimately of Persian origin.
Rupa f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Nepali
From Sanskrit रूप (rūpa) meaning "shape, form".
Rupinder m & f Indian (Sikh)
Means "greatest beauty" from Sanskrit रूप (rūpa) meaning "beauty, form" combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra, used here to mean "greatest".
Sachin m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu
Possibly from Sanskrit सत् (sat) meaning "existence, essence". A famous bearer is the retired Indian cricket player Sachin Tendulkar (1973-).
Sadhana f Bengali, Hindi, Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit साधना (sādhanā) meaning "accomplishment, completion".
Sakshi f Hindi, Marathi
From Sanskrit साक्षिन् (sākṣin) meaning "witness".
Sameer 2 m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi समीर, Bengali সমীর or Gujarati સમીર (see Samir 2).
Sameera 2 f Telugu, Marathi, Hindi
Alternate transcription of Telugu సమీరా or Marathi/Hindi समीरा (see Samira 2).
Samir 2 m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati
From Sanskrit समीर (samīra) meaning "wind, air".
Samira 2 f Marathi, Hindi, Telugu
Feminine form of Samir 2.
Sampath m Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Sinhalese
From Sanskrit सम्पत्ति (sampatti) meaning "success, wealth".
Sanjana f Hindi, Marathi
From Sanskrit सञजन (sañjana) meaning "uniting, joining".
Sanjeet m Hindi
Alternate transcription of Hindi संजीत (see Sanjit).
Sanjeev m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Kannada
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi संजीव, Gujarati સંજીવ, Gurmukhi ਸੰਜੀਵ, Telugu సంజీవ్ or Kannada ಸಂಜೀವ್ (see Sanjiv).
Sanjit m Hindi, Bengali
From Sanskrit संजित (saṃjita) meaning "complete victory".
Sanjiv m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Kannada
Derived from Sanskrit संजीव (saṃjīva) meaning "living, reviving".
Saral m Hindi
From Sanskrit सरल (sarala) meaning "straight".
Sarala f Tamil, Telugu, Kannada
Feminine form of Saral.
Sarika f Hindi, Marathi
From a Sanskrit word referring to a type of thrush (species Turdus salica) or myna bird (species Gracula religiosa).
Sarita 2 f Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
Means "flowing" in Sanskrit.
Sarvesh m Hindi, Marathi
Means "ruler of all" from Sanskrit सर्व (sarva) meaning "all" and ईश (īśa) meaning "ruler, lord".
Sashi m & f Kannada
Alternate transcription of Kannada ಶಶಿ (see Shashi).
Seema f Hindi, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi सीमा (see Sima 2).
Sekhar m Telugu, Bengali
Telugu and Bengali form of Shekhar.
Shama f Hindi, Urdu, Marathi
Means "lamp, candle" in Hindi and other Indian languages, ultimately from Arabic شمْع (shamʿ).
Shanthi f Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada
Southern Indian form of Shanti.
Shanti f Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
From Sanskrit शान्ती (śāntī) meaning "quiet, peace, tranquility".
Sharad m Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
From Sanskrit शरद् (śarad) meaning "autumn".
Sharma m Hindi
From Sanskrit शर्मन् (śarman) meaning "protection, comfort, joy".
Sharmila f Tamil, Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit शर्मन् (śarman) meaning "protection, comfort, joy".
Shashi m & f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu
Traditional name for the moon, it literally means "having a hare" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form शशि and the feminine form शशी (spelled with a long final vowel).
Sheela f Marathi, Kannada, Hindi, Tamil
Alternate transcription of Shila.
Shekhar m Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati
From Sanskrit शेखर (śekhara) meaning "crest, crown, peak".
Shikha f Hindi
From Sanskrit शिखा (śikhā) meaning "crest, plume".
Shila f Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit शील (śīla) meaning "conduct, disposition, character".
Shivali f Hindi
Possibly means "beloved of Shiva 1".
Shobha f Kannada, Hindi, Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit शोभा (śobhā) meaning "brilliance".
Shresth m Hindi
Means "most excellent, best" in Sanskrit.
Shreya f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati
From Sanskrit श्रेयस् (śreyas) meaning "superior, better".
Shrinivas m Marathi
Means "the abode of Shri" from the name of the Hindu goddess Shri combined with Sanskrit निवास (nivāsa) meaning "abode, house".
Shriram m Hindi, Marathi
From the Sanskrit honorific श्री (śrī) meaning "radiance, splendour" combined with the name of the Hindu deity Rama 1.
Shrivatsa m Hindi (Rare)
Means "beloved of Shri" from the name of the Hindu goddess Shri combined with Sanskrit वत्स (vatsa) meaning "beloved, dear". This is the name of a mark on Vishnu's chest.
Shubham m Hindi, Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit शुभ (śubha) meaning "splendid, bright, auspicious".
Shweta f Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati
From Sanskrit श्वेत (śveta) meaning "white".
Shyamala f Tamil, Telugu, Marathi
Feminine form of Shyamal.
Siddhi f Marathi
Means "accomplishment, success, attainment" in Sanskrit, referring to spiritual or psychic powers attained through meditation or yoga.
Sima 2 f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
From Sanskrit सीम (sīma) meaning "boundary, limit".
Singh m Indian (Sikh)
From Sanskrit सिंह (siṃha) meaning "lion". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his male Sikh followers the surname Singh, and it is now a very common surname or a middle name. The female equivalent is Kaur.
Sitaram m Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Bengali
Combination of the names of the Hindu deities Sita and Rama 1.
Sneha f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
Means "love, tenderness" in Sanskrit.
Soma 2 m & f Hinduism, Bengali, Hindi
From Sanskrit सोम (soma), the name of a ritual drink appearing in the Vedas. It is probably derived from an Indo-Iranian root meaning "to press out, to extract". As a Vedic god, Soma is a personification of this drink. He is sometimes equated with the moon god Chandra.... [more]
Sona 1 f Hindi
Means "gold" in Hindi, derived from Sanskrit सुवर्ण (suvarṇa) meaning literally "good colour".
Sonal f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
From Hindi सोना (sonā), Marathi सोन (son) or Gujarati સોનું (sonum) meaning "gold", all derived from Sanskrit सुवर्ण (suvarṇa) meaning literally "good colour".
Srinivas m Telugu, Kannada, Tamil
Southern Indian form of Shrinivas.
Subhash m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali
Means "eloquent", derived from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" combined with भाषा (bhāṣā) meaning "speech".
Sudarshan m Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada
Means "beautiful, good-looking" in Sanskrit, derived from the prefix सु (su) meaning "good" combined with दर्शन (darśana) meaning "seeing, observing".
Sudarshana f Hindi
Feminine form of Sudarshan.
Sudheer m Telugu, Kannada
Alternate transcription of Telugu సుధీర్ or Kannada ಸುಧೀರ್ (see Sudhir).
Sudhir m Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu
Derived from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good, very" combined with धीर (dhīra) meaning "wise, considerate".
Sujata f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Odia, Buddhism
Means "well-born", derived from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" and जात (jāta) meaning "born, grown". According to Buddhist lore this was the name of the woman who gave Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) a bowl of pudding, ending his period of severe asceticism.
Sujatha f Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Sinhalese
South Indian and Sinhala form of Sujata.
Sujay m Bengali, Marathi
Means "great victory", derived from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" combined with जय (jaya) meaning "victory".
Sukhwinder m & f Indian (Sikh)
From Sanskrit सुख (sukha) meaning "pleasant, happy" combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra.
Sulabha f Marathi
Means "easy, simple, natural" in Sanskrit.
Suman m & f Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Nepali
Means "well-disposed, good mind", derived from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" combined with मनस् (manas) meaning "mind".
Sumeet m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi सुमित, Bengali সুমিত or Gurmukhi ਸੁਮਿਤ (see Sumit).
Sumit m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi
From Sanskrit सुमित (sumita) meaning "well measured".
Sunil m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
From Sanskrit सु (su) meaning "good, very" combined with नील (nīla) meaning "dark blue".
Suniti f Hindi
Means "good conduct" from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" combined with नीति (nīti) meaning "guidance, moral conduct".
Suraj m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Nepali
Means "sun" in several northern Indian languages, derived from Sanskrit सूर्य (sūrya).
Surinder m & f Indian (Sikh)
Variant of Surendra used by Sikhs.
Swapna f Telugu, Marathi
From Sanskrit स्वप्न (svapna) meaning "sleep, dream".
Swapnil m Marathi, Hindi
Derived from Sanskrit स्वप्न (svapna) meaning "sleep, dream".
Swarna m & f Telugu, Hindi
Means "good colour" or "golden", a contraction of the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" and वर्ण (varṇa) meaning "colour". This is a transcription of both the masculine form स्वर्ण and the feminine form स्वर्णा (spelled with a long final vowel).
Swathi f Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam
Southern Indian form of Swati.
Swati f Hindi, Marathi
From the Indian name of the fourth brightest star in the night sky, called Arcturus in the western world.
Tamanna f Hindi, Bengali
Means "wish, desire" in Hindi, from Persian تمنّا (tamannā), ultimately from Arabic.
Tanu f Hindi
Means "slender" in Sanskrit.
Tanvi f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Means "slender woman", derived from Sanskrit तनु (tanu) meaning "slender".
Tapan m Bengali, Odia, Assamese
Derived from Sanskrit तपन (tapana) meaning "warming, burning, heating".
Tarun m Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Hindi, Punjabi
Derived from Sanskrit तरुण (taruṇa) meaning "young, fresh".
Tejal f Marathi, Gujarati
From Sanskrit तेजस् (tejas) meaning "brilliance, splendour".
Trishna f Hindi
Means "thirst, desire" in Sanskrit.
Tushar m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati
From Sanskrit तुषार (tuṣāra) meaning "cold, frost, snow".
Upasana f Hindi
Means "worship, devotion" in Sanskrit.
Urvi f Marathi, Gujarati
From Sanskrit उर्वी (urvī) meaning "wide".
Uttara m & f Hinduism, Marathi
Means "north" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form उत्तर and the feminine form उत्तरा (spelled with a long final vowel), both of which occur in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata belonging to the son and daughter of King Virata.
Varsha f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil
From Sanskrit वर्ष (varṣa) meaning "rain".
Vasuda f Hindi (Rare)
Means "granting wealth" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the earth.
Vasudha f Hindi
Means "holding wealth" in Sanskrit, used to refer to the earth.
Vasundhara f Hindi, Telugu
Means "possessor of wealth" in Sanskrit, used to refer to the earth.
Veda f Telugu, Kannada
Means "knowledge" in Sanskrit.
Venkata m Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam
From the name of a sacred hill in Andhra Pradesh in southern India. It is the home of the Venkateswara Temple, a pilgrimage site for Hindus.
Vihaan m Hindi
From Sanskrit विहान (vihāna) meaning "dawn, morning".
Vimal m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil
From Sanskrit विमल (vimala) meaning "clean, pure, spotless".
Vinay m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil
From Sanskrit विनय (vinaya) meaning "leading, guidance, modesty".
Vipin m Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam
From Sanskrit विपिन (vipina) meaning "forest".
Vipul m Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi
From Sanskrit विपुल (vipula) meaning "large, extensive, plenty".
Vishal m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali
From Sanskrit विशाल (viśāla) meaning "wide, broad, spacious".
Vivek m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali
From Sanskrit विवेक (viveka) meaning "wisdom, distinction, discrimination".
Yamuna f Hinduism, Tamil, Telugu
From the name of an Indian river, a major tributary of the Ganges, derived from Sanskrit यम (yama) meaning "twin". As a Hindu goddess, she is a personification of the river.
Yash m Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada
Derived from Sanskrit यशस् (yaśas) meaning "fame, praise, glory".