Buddhism Names

Ajita अजीत m Hinduism, Buddhism
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.

Ananda आनन्द m Sanskrit, Buddhism, Tamil, Bengali
Derived from Sanskrit आनन्द (ānanda) meaning "happiness, bliss". This was the name of an attendant and disciple of the Buddha.

Avalokiteshvara अवलोकितेश्वर m Buddhism
Means "the lord who looks down" in Sanskrit, derived from अवलोक् (avalok) meaning "to look down" and ईश्वर (īśvara) meaning "lord, god". The original form of the name may have been अवलोकितस्वर (Avalokitasvara), with the final element being स्वर (svara) meaning "sound, tone" (as evidenced by the Chinese form Guanyin). In Buddhist belief this is the name of a bodhisattva associated with compassion.

Buddha बुद्ध m Buddhism
Means "enlightened" in Sanskrit. This is a title applied to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, as well as to a handful of other enlightened individuals.

Gautama गौतम m Sanskrit, Buddhism
In the case of Siddhartha Gautama, it was a patronymic form of Gotama. Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, was the founder of Buddhism. He was a 6th-century BC nobleman who left his family in order to lead a life of meditation and poverty.

Guanyin 观音, 觀音 f Buddhism
Means "one who observes sounds", from Chinese 观 (guān) meaning "to observe, to see" and 音 (yīn) meaning "sound, tone", referring to prayers. This is the Chinese name of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion (who is regarded as female in China). It originated as a calque of Sanskrit अवलोकितस्वर (Avalokitasvara), an earlier form of Avalokiteshvara's name.

Kannon 1 観音 f Buddhism
Japanese form of Guanyin.

Manjushri मञ्जुश्री m Buddhism
Means "beautiful radiance", derived from Sanskrit मञ्जु (mañju) meaning "lovely, beautiful" and श्री (śrī) meaning "radiance, splendour, beauty". According to Buddhist tradition this is the name of a bodhisattva.

Maya 1 माया f Hinduism, Buddhism, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
Means "illusion, magic" in Sanskrit. In Buddhist tradition this is the name of the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). This is also another name of the Hindu goddess Durga.

Nanda नन्द, नन्दा m & f Hinduism, Buddhism, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Nepali, Burmese, Hindi, Marathi
Means "joy" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form नन्द and the feminine form नन्दा (spelled with a long final vowel).... [more]

Rahula राहुल m Sanskrit, Buddhism
Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from the name of the demon Rahu. This was the name of the son of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha).

Siddhartha सिद्धार्थ m Sanskrit, Buddhism, Bengali
Means "one who has accomplished a goal", derived from Sanskrit सिद्ध (siddha) meaning "accomplished" and अर्थ (artha) meaning "goal". Siddhartha Gautama was the real name of the Buddha.

Sujata सुजाता 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.

Tara 2 तारा f Hinduism, Buddhism, Hindi, Nepali
Means "star" in Sanskrit. Tara is the name of a Hindu astral goddess, the wife of Brhaspati. She was abducted by Chandra, the god of the moon, leading to a great war that was only ended when Brahma intervened and released her. This name also appears in the epic the Ramayana belonging to the wife of Vali and, after his death, his younger brother Sugriva. In Buddhist belief this is the name of a bodhisattva associated with salvation and protection.