Browse Names - Behind the Name

Aarti आरती f 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 (ārātrika).

Abha आभा f Hindi
From Sanskrit आभा (ābhā) meaning "splendour, light".

Amitabh अमिताभ m Hindi
From Sanskrit अमिताभ (amitābha) meaning "immeasurable splendour". A famous bearer is Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan (1942-).

Anik अनीक m Hindi, Bengali
From Sanskrit अनीक (anīka) meaning "army" or "splendour".

Arushi अरुषी, आरुषी, आरुषि f Hinduism, Hindi
From Sanskrit अरुष (aruṣa) meaning "reddish, dawn", a word used in the Rigveda to describe the red horses of Agni. According to some traditions this was the name of the wife of the legendary sage Chyavana.

Ashwin अश्विन m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit अश्विन् (aśvin) meaning "possessed of horses". The Ashvins are twin Hindu gods of the sunrise and sunset.

Bhaskar भास्कर m Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada
Modern form of Bhaskara.

Chander चन्द्र, चन्द्रा m Hindi
Alternate transcription of Hindi चन्द्र or चन्द्रा (see Chandra).

Chandra चन्द्र, चन्द्रा m & f Hinduism, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Nepali
Means "moon" in Sanskrit, derived from चन्द (cand) meaning "to shine". This is a transcription of both the masculine form चण्ड (the god of the moon personified) as well as the feminine form चण्डा (spelled with a long final vowel).

Chirag चिराग m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Means "lamp, light" in Hindi and other Indian languages, ultimately from Persian چراغ (cherāgh).

Deepa दीपा f Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi दीपा, Gurmukhi ਦੀਪਾ, Bengali দীপা, Malayalam ദീപ or Tamil தீபா (see Dipa).

Deepali दीपाली f Hindi, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi दीपाली (see Dipali).

Deepika दीपिका f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi दीपिका, Kannada ದೀಪಿಕಾ, Malayalam ദീപിക, Tamil தீபிகா or Telugu దీపికా (see Dipika).

Dip दीप m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi
Masculine form of Dipa.

Dipa दीपा f Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil
From Sanskrit दीप (dīpa) meaning "light, lamp".

Dipali दीपाली f Hindi, Marathi
From Sanskrit दिपाली (dipālī) meaning "row of lamps".

Dipika दीपिका f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
Feminine form of Dipaka.

Dipti दीप्ती f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada
From Sanskrit दीपति (dīpti) meaning "brightness, light".

Diya 1 दिया f Hindi
Means "lamp, light" in Hindi.

Indu इन्दु f Hindi
Means "bright drop" in Sanskrit. This is a name for the moon.

Jyoti ज्योती, ज्योति f & m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit ज्योतिस् (jyotis) meaning "light". This is a transcription of both the feminine form ज्योती and the masculine form ज्योति.

Jyotsna ज्योत्स्ना f Hindi
Derived from Sanskrit ज्योत्स्ना (jyotsnā) meaning "moonlight".

Kashi काशी f Hindi
From the name of a holy city in India, famous for its many temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Its name is derived from Sanskrit काशि (kāśi) meaning "shining".

Kiran किरण f & m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Gujarati, Nepali, Urdu
Derived from Sanskrit किरण (kiraṇa), which can mean "dust" or "thread" or "sunbeam".

Nishant निशान्त, निशांत m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
From Sanskrit निशान्त (niśānta) meaning "night's end, dawn".

Prabhat प्रभात m Hindi
Means "shining forth, morning" in Sanskrit, derived from प्रभा (prabhā) meaning "to shine".

Pradip प्रदीप m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit प्रदीप (pradīpa) meaning "light, lantern".

Prakash प्रकाश m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit प्रकाश (prakāśa) meaning "light, bright, shining".

Prasad प्रसाद m Telugu, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Odia, Bengali, Nepali
From Sanskrit प्रसाद (prasāda) meaning "brightness, clearness, graciousness, offering". This is a word referring to an offering of food made to a deity.

Prasanna प्रसन्न m Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Odia, Hindi
Means "clear, bright, tranquil" in Sanskrit.

Pratap प्रताप m Hindi, Marathi
From Sanskrit प्रताप (pratāpa) meaning "heat, splendour, glory".

Pratibha प्रतिभा f Hindi, Marathi
From Sanskrit प्रतिभा (pratibhā) meaning "light, splendour, intelligence".

Ramprasad रामप्रसाद 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).

Rashmi रश्मी f & m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil
From Sanskrit रश्मि (raśmi) meaning "ray of sunlight, rope, cord".

Roshan रोशन m & f Persian, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
Means "light, bright" in Persian.

Roshni रोशनी, रोश्नी f Marathi, Hindi
From Hindi and Marathi रौशनी (raushanī) meaning "light, brightness", ultimately of Persian origin.

Sandeep संदीप m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi संदीप, Bengali সন্দীপ, Gurmukhi ਸੰਦੀਪ, Gujarati સંદિપ, Kannada ಸಂದೀಪ್, Malayalam സന്ദീപ്, Telugu సందీప్, Tamil சந்தீப் or Nepali सन्दीप (see Sandip).

Sandip संदीप m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali
From Sanskrit सन्दीप् (sandīp) meaning "to blaze, to burn".

Shama शमा f Hindi, Urdu, Marathi
Means "lamp, candle" in Hindi and other Indian languages, ultimately from Arabic شمْع (shamʿ).

Shobha शोभा f Kannada, Hindi, Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit शोभा (śobhā) meaning "brilliance".

Shriram श्रीराम m Hindi, Marathi
From the Sanskrit honorific श्री (śrī) meaning "radiance, splendour" combined with the name of the Hindu deity Rama 1.

Shubham शुभम m Hindi, Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit शुभ (śubha) meaning "splendid, bright, auspicious".

Usha उषा f Hinduism, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
Variant of Ushas. According to the Hindu text the Bhagavata Purana this was the name of a daughter of the demon king Bana who married Aniruddha, the grandson of the Hindu deity Krishna.

Vasu वसु m Hinduism, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi
Means "excellent, good, wealthy, bright" in Sanskrit. This is a name for the Hindu gods, in particular the eight elemental deities who are attendants of Indra. It is also borne by several other characters in Hindu legend.

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