Sanskrit Name Meanings
Explore 163+ Sanskrit and Hindu names — with meaning, etymology, deity association, and syllable breakdown.
163 names
Frequently Asked Questions
In Hindu tradition, a name is not merely a social label but a vibration that shapes the identity and influences the life of the person who carries it. Sanskrit names are chosen for the qualities they invoke — a child named Ananda (bliss) or Dharma (righteousness) carries that aspiration as a daily reminder. The Namakarana (naming ceremony) is one of the sixteen Samskaras, performed on the eleventh or twelfth day after birth, and includes prayers that the child embody the qualities their name represents.
Many Hindu names are drawn from the divine epithets of deities listed in texts such as the Vishnu Sahasranama (1,008 names of Bhagwan Vishnu) or the Shiva Sahasranama. Giving a child such a name is understood to place them under the protective grace of that deity and to connect them to the qualities that name represents. It is also an act of Namasmaran (remembrance of the divine) — each time the child's name is spoken, it is an invocation.
Each name entry on this site includes an IAST transliteration showing diacritical marks that indicate precise pronunciation. Long vowels (marked with a macron, e.g. ā) are held twice as long as short vowels. The retroflex letters (ṭ, ḍ, ṇ) are pronounced with the tongue curled back. The aspirated consonants (bh, dh, gh, kh, ph, th) are pronounced with a puff of breath. If you are learning Sanskrit pronunciation, listening to correct audio recordings of Vedic chanting provides an excellent reference.
The name database is continuously growing. If your name or a name you are researching does not appear, it may be a regional variant spelling, a vernacular form of a Sanskrit name, or a name from a regional language tradition (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, etc.). Try alternate spellings or the Sanskrit root form. The site welcomes suggestions for names to add.