Hindu boy names

Hindu boy names starting with A

Aditya – Means ‘belonging to ADITI’ in Sanskrit. This is a name for the seven (or eight) Hindu gods who are the children of Aditi. It is also another name for the sun god Surya

Agni – 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

Amit – Amit is a male name, it’s Hindu meaning is infinite or boundless.

Anant – Modern form of ANANTA

Ananta – Means ‘infinite, endless’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form / (an epithet of the Hindu god Vishnu) and the feminine form / (an epithet of the goddess Parvati)

Ananth – Southern Indian form of ANANTA

Anantha – Southern Indian form of ANANTA

Anil – Derived from Sanskrit (anila) ‘air, wind’. This is another name of Vayu, the Hindu god of the wind

Aniruddha – Means ‘unobstructed, ungovernable’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of the grandson of the Hindu god Krishna

Arjun – Modern form of ARJUNA

Arjuna – Means ‘white, clear’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of a hero in Hindu texts, the son of the god Indra and the princess Kunti

Arthit – Means ‘sun’ in Thai, derived from the name of the Hindu god ADITYA

Arun – Modern form of ARUNA

Aruna – Means ‘reddish brown’ in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Aruna () is the charioteer who drives the sun god Surya across the sky. The feminine form is transcribed the same way. The modern masculine form is Arun

Hindu boy names starting with B

Bala – Means ‘young’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form and the feminine form (a minor Hindu goddess)

Baladeva – Means ‘god of strength’ from Sanskrit (bala) meaning ‘strength’ combined with (deva) meaning ‘god’. Baladeva (also called Balarama) is the name of the older brother of the Hindu god Krishna

Balakrishna – From Sanskrit (bala) meaning ‘strength, might’ combined with the name of the Hindu god KRISHNA

Baldev – Modern Hindi transcription of BALADEVA

Balwinder – From Sanskrit (bala) meaning ‘strength, might’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA

Basant – Modern form of VASANTA

Basu – Bengali form of VASU

Bharat – Modern form of BHARATA

Bharata – Means ‘being maintained’ in Sanskrit. This is one of the names of Agni, the Hindu god of fire, and is also the name of the brother of Rama in the Hindu epic the ‘Ramayana’. It was also borne by a legendary king, the son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. The official name of the country of India, Bharat, derives from him

Bharath – Southern Indian form of BHARATA

Bhaskar – Modern form of BHASKARA

Bhaskara – Means ‘shining’, derived from a combination of Sanskrit (bhasa) meaning ‘light’ and (kara) meaning ‘maker’. This is another name of the sun and the Hindu god Shiva. It was additionally borne by a 12th-century Indian astronomer, also known as Bhaskaracharya

Bhima – Means ‘terrible, formidable’ in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the ‘Mahabharata’ this is the name of the second son of Pandu, and thus one of the five Pandavas. He was known for his terrific strength and skill as a warrior

Bijay – Bengali form of VIJAYA

Bijoy – Alternate transcription of Bengali (see BIJAY)

Bima – Indonesian form of BHIMA

Bishan – Variant of VISHNU

Brahma – Means ‘growth, expansion, creation’ in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Brahma is the creator and director of the universe, the balance between the opposing forces of Vishnu and Shiva. He is often depicted with four heads and four arms

Brijesh – Modern form of BRIJESHA

Brijesha – Means ‘ruler of Brij’ in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god Krishna, Brij being a region associated with him

Hindu boy names starting with C

Chand – Modern masculine form of CHANDA

Chanda – Means ‘fierce, hot, passionate’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form and the feminine form (an epithet of the Hindu goddess Durga)

Chander – Alternate transcription of Hindi or (see CHANDRA)

Chandra – Means ‘moon’ in Sanskrit, derived from (chand) meaning ‘to shine’. This is a transcription of the masculine form (a name of the moon in Hindu texts, which is often personified as a deity) as well as the feminine form

Hindu boy names starting with D

Damodar – Modern form of DAMODARA

Damodara – Means ‘rope around the belly’, derived from Sanskrit (dama) meaning ‘rope’ and (udara) meaning ‘belly’. This is another name of the Hindu god Krishna, given to him because his foster-mother tied him to a large urn

Dayaram – Means ‘compassion of Rama’, from Sanskrit (daya) meaning ‘compassion’ combined with the name of the god RAMA (1)

Deepak – Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali , Bengali , Gujarati , Gurmukhi , Malayalam , Kannada , Tamil or Telugu (see DIPAK)

Devaraj – Modern form of DEVARAJA

Devaraja – Means ‘king of gods’ from Sanskrit (deva) meaning ‘god’ and (raja) meaning ‘king’. This is another name of the Hindu god Indra

Devraj – Modern form of DEVARAJA

Dileep – Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi , Malayalam , Kannada , Tamil or Telugu (see DILIP)

Dilip – Modern form of DILIPA

Dilipa – Means ‘protector of Delhi’ from Sanskrit (see DELHI) combined with (pa) meaning ‘protecting’. This is the name of several kings in Hindu texts

Dinesh – Modern form of DINESHA

Dinesha – Means ‘day lord’ from Sanskrit (dina) meaning ‘day’ and (isha) meaning ‘lord’. In Hindu texts this is used as a name of the sun

Dipak – Modern form of DIPAKA

Dipaka – Means ‘inflaming, exciting’ in Sanskrit. This is another name of Kama, the Hindu god of love

Drupada – Means ‘wooden pillar’ or ‘firm footed’ in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the ‘Mahabharata’ this is the name of a king of Panchala, the father of Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna

Durga – 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

Dushyant – Modern form of DUSHYANTA

Dushyanta – Possibly means ‘destroyer of evil’ in Sanskrit. In Hindu legend this is the name of a king who is the husband of Shakuntala and the father of Bharata

Hindu boy names starting with G

Ganesh – Modern form of GANESHA

Ganesha – Means ‘lord of hordes’ from Sanskrit (gana) meaning ‘horde, multitude’ and (isha) meaning ‘lord, ruler’. This is the name of the Hindu god of wisdom and good luck, the son of Shiva and Parvati. He is often depicted as a stout man with the head of an elephant

Gautam – Modern form of GAUTAMA

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

Girish – Modern form of GIRISHA

Girisha – Means ‘lord of the mountain’ in Sanskrit. This is a name of the Hindu god Shiva, given because of his abode in the Himalayan Mountains

Gobind – Variant of GOVINDA used in northern India. This was the name of the last Sikh guru, Gobind Singh (1666-1708)

Gobinda – Bengali form of GOVINDA

Gopal – Modern form of GOPALA

Gopala – Means ‘cow protector’ from Sanskrit (go) meaning ‘cow’ and (pala) meaning ‘guard, protector’. This is another name of the Hindu god Krishna. This name was also borne by the 8th-century founder of the Pala Empire in Bengal

Gopinath – Tamil and Malayalam form of GOPINATHA

Gopinatha – Means ‘leader of the gopis’ in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god Krishna, acquired because of his association with the gopis, who are cow-herding girls

Gotam – Modern form of GOTAMA

Gotama – Means ‘the best ox’ from Sanskrit (go) meaning ‘ox, cow’ and (tama) meaning ‘best’. In Hindu texts this is the name of one of the Saptarshis, or seven sages. This name was also born by an early Indian philosopher who wrote the Nyaya Sutras

Govind – Modern form of GOVINDA

Govinda – Means ‘cow finder’, derived from Sanskrit (go) meaning ‘cow’ combined with (vinda) meaning ‘finding’. This is another name of the Hindu god Krishna

Hindu boy names starting with H

Hardeep – From the name of the Hindu god HARI and Sanskrit (dipa) meaning ‘lamp, light’

Harendra – Combination of the names of the Hindu gods HARI (referring to Vishnu) and INDRA

Hari – 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

Harinder – Variant of HARENDRA used by Sikhs

Harish – Modern form of HARISHA

Harisha – Means ‘lord of monkeys’ from Sanskrit (hari) meaning ‘monkey’ and (isha) meaning ‘lord’. This is another name of the Hindu god Vishnu

Hindu boy names starting with I

Inderjeet – Alternate transcription of Gurmukhi (see INDERJIT)

Inderjit – Variant of INDRAJIT used by Sikhs

Inderpal – Means ‘protector of Indra’ from the name of the god INDRA combined with Sanskrit (pala) meaning ‘protector’

Indra – Means ‘possessing drops of rain’ from Sanskrit (indu) meaning ‘a drop’ and (ra) meaning ‘acquiring, possessing’. Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain. He is the chief god in the Rigveda

Indrajit – Means ‘conqueror of Indra’ from the name of the god INDRA combined with Sanskrit (jiti) meaning ‘victory, conquering’. In Hindu legend this is another name of Meghanada, the son of Ravana, the king of Sri Lanka. He was given this name by Brahma after he defeated Indra

Isha – Means ‘master, lord’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form and the masculine form (an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva). It is also the name of one of the Upanishads, which are parts of Hindu scripture

Hindu boy names starting with J

Jagadish – Modern form of JAGADISHA

Jagadisha – Means ‘ruler of the world’ from Sanskrit (jagat) meaning ‘world’ and (isha) meaning ‘ruler’. This is another name of the Hindu god Vishnu

Jagannath – Modern form of JAGANNATHA

Jagannatha – Means ‘master of the world’ from Sanskrit (jagat) meaning ‘world’ and (natha) meaning ‘master’. This is a title of the Hindu gods Vishnu and Krishna

Jagdish – Modern form of JAGADISHA

Jai – Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi (see JAY (2)), as well as a Tamil masculine form of JAYA

Jasvinder – Alternate transcription of Gurmukhi (see JASWINDER)

Jaswinder – From Sanskrit (yashas) meaning ‘fame, praise, glory’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA

Jav – Whole Wheat

Jay – Modern (northern Indian) masculine form of JAYA

Jaya – Derived from Sanskrit (jaya) meaning ‘victory’. This is a transcription of both the feminine form (an epithet of the Hindu goddess Durga) and the masculine form (borne by several characters in Hindu texts). As a modern personal name, this transcription is both feminine and masculine in southern India, but typically only feminine in the north

Jayant – Modern form of JAYANTA

Jayanta – Derived from Sanskrit (jayanta) meaning ‘victorious’. This is the name of a son of the Hindu god Indra, as well as other figures in Hindu mythology

Jayendra – Means ‘lord of victory’ from Sanskrit (jaya) meaning ‘victory’ combined with the name of the god INDRA, used here to mean ‘lord’

Jeetendra – Alternate transcription of Hindi or Marathi (see JITENDRA)

Jitender – Variant of JITENDRA used by Sikhs

Jitendra – Means ‘conqueror of Indra’ from Sanskrit (jiti) meaning ‘victory, conquering’ combined with the name of the god INDRA

Hindu boy names starting with K

Kali – Means ‘the black one’ in Sanskrit. The Hindu goddess Kali is the fierce destructive form of the wife of Shiva. She is usually depicted with black skin and four arms, holding a severed head and brandishing a sword. As a personal name, it is generally masculine in India

Kalidas – Modern form of KALIDASA

Kalidasa – Means ‘servant of Kali’ from the name of the Hindu goddess KALI combined with Sanskrit (dasa) meaning ‘servant’. This was the name of a 4th-century Indian poet and dramatist, the author of the ‘Abhijnanashakuntalam’

Kama – Means ‘love, desire’ in Sanskrit. Kama is the winged Hindu god of love, the son of Lakshmi

Kamal – Modern masculine form of KAMALA

Kamala – Means ‘lotus’ or ‘pale red’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form and the masculine form . This is the name of one of the Krittikas, or Pleiades, in Hindu epic the ‘Mahabharata’. It is also another name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi

Kannan – Tamil form of KRISHNA

Kanti – Means ‘beauty’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form (another name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi) and the masculine form

Kapil – Modern form of KAPILA

Kapila – Means ‘reddish brown’ in Sanskrit, derived from (kapi) ‘monkey’. In the Hindu epic the ‘Mahabharata’ this is the name of a sage who founded Samkhya philosophy and is identified with the god Vishnu

Karna – Derived from Sanskrit (karna) meaning ‘ear’. This is the name of the son of the Hindu sun god Surya and the goddess Kunti, who gave birth to him through her ear. He was a great warrior who joined the Kauravas to fight against his half-brothers the Pandavas, eventually becoming the king of Anga

Karthikeyan – Tamil form of KARTIKEYA

Kartikeya – From Sanskrit (krittika), the name for the constellation of the Pleiades, ultimately from (krit) meaning ‘to cut, to divide’. This is another name for the Hindu god Skanda

Kavi – A wise man, poet

Kishan – Possibly a variant of KRISHNA

Krishna – Means ‘black, dark’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu god believed to be an incarnation of the god Vishnu. He was the youngest of King Vasudeva’s eight children, six of whom were killed by King Kamsa because of a prophecy that a child of Vasudeva would kill Kamsa. Krishna however was saved and he eventually killed the king as well as performing many other great feats. In some Hindu traditions, Krishna is regarded as the supreme deity. He is usually depicted with blue skin

Krisna – Indonesian form of KRISHNA

Kumar – Modern form of KUMARA

Kumara – Derived from Sanskrit (kumara) meaning ‘boy, son’. In Hindu texts this is an epithet of both the fire god Agni and the war god Skanda

Kumaran – Tamil and Malayalam variant of KUMARA

Hindu boy names starting with L

Lakshman – Modern form of LAKSHMANA

Lakshmana – Means ‘having lucky marks’ in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the ‘Ramayana’ he is the trusted companion of the hero Rama, accompanying him into exile

Lakshmi – Means ‘sign, mark’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu goddess of prosperity, good luck, and beauty. She is the wife of Vishnu and her symbol is the lotus flower, with which she is often depicted

Laxman – Alternate transcription of Marathi/Hindi or Telugu (see LAKSHMAN)

Laxmi – Alternate transcription of Telugu or Marathi/Hindi (see LAKSHMI), as well as the most common Nepali transcription

Hindu boy names starting with M

Madhav – Modern form of MADHAVA

Madhava – Means ‘vernal, of the springtime’ in Sanskrit. This is an epithet of several Hindu gods. It was also the name of a 14th-century Hindu scholar

Mahendra – From Sanskrit (maha) meaning ‘great’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA. This was the name of a son of the 3rd-century BC Indian emperor Ashoka. He is credited with introducing Buddhism to Sri Lanka

Mahesh – Modern form of MAHESHA

Mahesha – Means ‘great lord’ from Sanskrit (maha) meaning ‘great’ and (isha) meaning ‘lord, ruler’. This is another name of the Hindu god Shiva

Mahinder – Variant of MAHENDRA used by Sikhs

Mani – Means ‘jewel’ in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the ‘Mahabharata’ this name is borne by a serpent and an attendant of Skanda

Maninder – From Sanskrit (manas) meaning ‘mind, intellect, spirit’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA

Manoj – Modern form of MANOJA

Manoja – Means ‘born of the mind’, from Sanskrit (manas) meaning ‘mind, intellect, spirit’ and (ja) meaning ‘born’. This is another name of the Hindu god Kama

Manu – Means ‘thinking, wise’ in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is a title of Svayambhuva, the progenitor of the human race, as well as several of his descendants

Mitra – Means ‘friend’ in Sanskrit, a cognate of MITHRA. This is a transcription of both the feminine form and the masculine form , which is the name of a Hindu god of friendship and contracts who appears in the Rigveda

Mohan – Modern form of MOHANA

Mohana – Means ‘bewitching, infatuating, charming’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form (an epithet of the Hindu gods Shiva, Krishna and Kama) and the feminine form

Mohandas – Means ‘servant of Mohana’ from the name of the Hindu god MOHANA combined with Sanskrit (dasa) meaning ‘servant’. A famous bearer of this name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian leader who struggled peacefully for independence from Britain

Mohinder – Variant of MAHENDRA used by Sikhs

Mukesh – Modern form of MUKESHA

Mukesha – Means ‘ruler of Muka’ in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god Shiva, given to him because he killed Muka, a demon in the form of a wild boar

Murali – Means ‘flute’ in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god Krishna, given to him because he played the flute

Murugan – Possibly from a Dravidian word meaning ‘youth’. This is the name of a Tamil war god identified with Skanda

Hindu boy names starting with N

Nagendra – Means ‘lord of snakes’ from Sanskrit (naga) meaning ‘snake’ (also ‘elephant’) combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA, used here to mean ‘lord’. This is another name for Vasuki, the king of snakes, in Hindu mythology

Nala – Means ‘stem’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of a king of the Nishadha people in the Hindu epic the ‘Mahabharata’

Nand – Modern northern Indian form of NANDA

Nanda – Means ‘joy’ in Sanskrit. In Hindu texts this is a name of both Vishnu and the foster-father of Krishna, as well as various other characters. In Buddhist texts this is the name of a god and a disciple of Buddha. Nanda was also the name of a 4th-century BC king who founded a dynasty in Magadha in India

Narayan – Modern northern Indian form of NARAYANA

Narayana – Means ‘path of man’ in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of the god of creation, later synonymous with the god Brahma, and even later with Vishnu

Narayanan – Malayalam and Tamil variant of NARAYANA

Narendra – Means ‘lord of men’ from Sanskrit (nara) meaning ‘man’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA, used here to mean ‘lord’

Narinder – Variant of NARENDRA used by Sikhs

Hindu boy names starting with P

Padma – Means ‘lotus’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form and the masculine form . According to Hindu tradition a lotus holding the god Brahma arose from the navel of the god Vishnu. The name Padma is used in Hindu texts to refer to several characters, including the goddess Lakshmi and the hero Rama

Pankaj – Modern form of PANKAJA

Pankaja – Means ‘born of mud’, referring to the lotus flower, derived from Sanskrit (panka) meaning ‘mud’ and (ja) meaning ‘born’. This is another name of the Hindu god Brahma

Parminder – From Sanskrit (parama) meaning ‘highest, best’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA

Parth – Modern form of PARTHA

Partha – Means ‘son of PRITHA’ in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is another name for the Pandavas, who were sons of Pritha (another name of Kunti) and Pandu

Pema – Tibetan form of PADMA

Phirun – Means ‘rain’ in Khmer, from the name of a rain god in the mythologies of southeast Asia. The god’s name is possibly derived from VARUNA

Pitambar – Modern form of PITAMBARA

Pitambara – Derived from Sanskrit (pita) meaning ‘yellow’ and (ambara) meaning ‘garment’. This is another name of the Hindu gods Vishnu or Krishna, given to them because yellow clothing is traditionally worn at religious events

Prabhakar – Modern form of PRABHAKARA

Prabhakara – Means ‘light maker’, derived from Sanskrit (prabha) meaning ‘light’ and (kara) meaning ‘maker’. This is a name given to the sun in Hindu texts. It was also borne by a medieval Hindu scholar

Prabhu – Means ‘mighty, powerful, master’ in Sanskrit. This is an epithet of both the Hindu gods Surya and Agni

Pramod – Modern form of PRAMODA

Pramoda – Means ‘joy’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of an attendant of the Hindu god Skanda

Purushottam – Modern form of PURUSHOTTAMA

Purushottama – Means ‘the best man’ from Sanskrit (purusha) meaning ‘man’ and (uttama) meaning ‘highest’. This is another name of either of the Hindu gods Vishnu or Krishna

Hindu boy names starting with R

Rabi – Bengali variant of RAVI

Rabindra – Bengali form of RAVINDRA

Radha – Means ‘success’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of the favourite consort of the Hindu god Krishna

Raghu – Means ‘swift’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of a heroic king in Hindu epics, the great-grandfather of Rama. It is also mentioned as the name of a son of Buddha in Buddhist texts

Rajani – Means ‘the dark one’ in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Kali or Durga

Rajender – Alternate transcription of Hindi (see RAJENDRA)

Rajendra – Means ‘lord of kings’, derived from Sanskrit (raja) meaning ‘king’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA, used here to mean ‘lord’. This was the name of two 11th-century rulers of the Chola Empire in southern India

Rajinder – Variant of RAJENDRA used by Sikhs

Ram – Modern form of RAMA (1)

Rama – Means ‘pleasing, beautiful’ in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of an incarnation of the god Vishnu. He is the hero of the ‘Ramayana’, a Hindu epic, which tells of the abduction of his wife Sita by the demon king Ravana, and his efforts to recapture her

Ramachandra – Derived from the name of the Hindu god RAMA (1) combined with Sanskrit (chandra) meaning ‘moon’. This is another name of Rama

Ramakant – Husband of Rama

Ramakrishna – Combination of the names of the Hindu gods RAMA (1) and KRISHNA. This name was borne by the Hindu religious teacher Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886)

Ramesh – Modern transcription of RAMESHA

Ramesha – Means ‘husband of Lakshmi’, derived from RAMA (2), a name of Lakshmi, combined with (isha) meaning ‘ruler, husband’. This is one of the names of the Hindu god Vishnu

Rameshvara – Means ‘lord of Rama’, derived from the name of the Hindu god RAMA (1) combined with Sanskrit (ishvara) meaning ‘lord, god’. This is another name for the Hindu god Shiva

Rameshwar – Modern form of RAMESHVARA

Ravi – Means ‘sun’ in Sanskrit. Ravi is a Hindu god of the sun, sometimes equated with Surya. A famous bearer was the musician Ravi Shankar (1920-2012)

Ravinder – Variant of RAVINDRA used by Sikhs

Ravindra – Means ‘lord of the sun’ from Sanskrit (ravi) meaning ‘sun’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA, used here to mean ‘lord’. This is another name for the Hindu god Surya

Rupinder – Means ‘greatest beauty’ from Sanskrit (rupa) meaning ‘beauty, form’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA, used here to mean ‘greatest’

Hindu boy names starting with S

Sanjay – Modern form of SANJAYA

Sanjaya – Means ‘completely victorious, triumphant’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of a royal official in the Hindu epic the ‘Mahabharata’

Sankar – Alternate transcription of Malayalam or Bengali (see SHANKAR)

Satish – Modern form of SATISHA

Satisha – Means ‘lord of Sati’ from the name of the Hindu goddess SATI combined with (isha) meaning ‘ruler’. This is another name for the Hindu god Shiva

Savitr – Means ‘rouser, stimulator’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu sun god, sometimes identified with Surya

Shakti – Means ‘power’ in Sanskrit. In Hinduism a shakti is the female counterpart of a god. The name Shakti is used in particular to refer to the female counterpart of Shiva, also known as Parvati among many other names

Shani – From the Sanskrit name of the planet Saturn. This is the name of a celestial Hindu god

Shankar – Modern transcription of SHANKARA

Shankara – Derived from the Sanskrit elements (sham) meaning ‘auspicious, lucky’ and (kara) meaning ‘maker’. This is another name of the Hindu god Shiva. This was also the name of a 9th-century Indian religious philosopher also known as Shankaracharya

Shantanu – Means ‘wholesome’ in Sanskrit. In the Hindu epic the ‘Mahabharata’ this is the name of a king of Hastinapura

Shib – Bengali form of SHIVA (1)

Shiv – Northern Indian form of SHIVA (1)

Shiva – Derived from Sanskrit (shiva) meaning ‘benign, kind, auspicious’. Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction and restoration, the husband of the mother goddess Parvati. His aspect is usually terrifying, but it can also be gentle

Shrinivas – Means ‘the abode of Shri’ from the name of the Hindu goddess SHRI combined with Sanskrit (nivasa) meaning ‘abode, house’

Shripati – Means ‘husband of Shri’ from the name of the Hindu goddess SHRI combined with Sanskrit (pati) meaning ‘husband, lord’. This is another name of the Hindu god Vishnu

Shrivatsa – Means ‘beloved of Shri’ from the name of the Hindu goddess SHRI combined with Sanskrit (vatsa) meaning ‘beloved, dear’. This is the name of a mark on Vishnu’s chest

Shyam – Modern masculine form of SHYAMA

Shyama – Derived from Sanskrit (shyama) meaning ‘dark, black, blue’. This is a transcription of the masculine form , which is another name of the Hindu god Krishna, as well as the feminine form , one of the many names of the wife of the god Shiva. It is also the name of a Jain goddess

Sib – Alternate transcription of Bengali (see SHIB)

Siva – Alternate transcription of Tamil , Telugu , Kannada or Malayalam (see SHIVA (1))

Skanda – Means ‘hopping, spurting, spilling’ in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of the god of war, also known as Kartikeya or Murugan. He is worshipped especially by the Tamils in southern India

Sree – Alternate transcription of Telugu or Tamil (see SRI)

Sri – Indonesian and southern Indian form of SHRI

Subrahmanya – From the Sanskrit prefix (su) meaning ‘good’ and (brahman) meaning ‘transcendent reality, eternal truth’. This is another name for the Hindu god Skanda

Subramaniam – Tamil variant of SUBRAHMANYA

Subramanian – Tamil variant of SUBRAHMANYA

Sukarno – From the Sanskrit prefix (su) meaning ‘good’ combined with the name of the mythological hero KARNA. Sukarno (1901-1970), who did not have a surname, was the first president of Indonesia

Sundar – Modern form of SUNDARA

Sundara – Derived from Sanskrit (sundara) meaning ‘beautiful’. This is the name of several minor characters in Hindu texts, and is also another name of the Hindu god Krishna

Sunder – Alternate transcription of Hindi or Tamil (see SUNDAR)

Surendra – Means ‘lord of gods’ from Sanskrit (sura) meaning ‘god’ combined with the name of the Hindu god INDRA, used here to mean ‘lord’. This is another name for Indra

Suresh – Modern form of SURESHA

Suresha – Means ‘ruler of the gods’ from Sanskrit (sura) meaning ‘god’ and (isha) meaning ‘ruler, lord’. This is another name of the Hindu gods Indra, Shiva or Vishnu

Surinder – Variant of SURENDRA used by Sikhs

Suriya – Alternate transcription of Tamil (see SURYA)

Surya – Means ‘sun’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu god of the sun

Sushil – Modern masculine form of SUSHILA

Sushila – Means ‘good-tempered, well-disposed’, derived from the Sanskrit prefix (su) meaning ‘good’ combined with (shila) meaning ‘conduct, disposition’. This is a transcription of both the feminine form and the masculine form . This name is borne by wives of the Hindu gods Krishna and Yama

Susila – Indonesian form of SUSHILA

Susilo – Javanese form of SUSHILA

Hindu boy names starting with T

Tanay – Son, dear one

Tapas – Heat, sun

Hindu boy names starting with U

Uttar – Modern masculine form of UTTARA

Uttara – Means ‘north’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form (also written Uttar) and the feminine form (also written Uttara), both of which occur in the Hindu epic the ‘Mahabharata’ belonging to the son and daughter of King Virata

Hindu boy names starting with V

Varuna – Probably from a Sanskrit word meaning ‘to surround’. In Hindu mythology Varuna is a god of water and the celestial ocean surrounding the world. He is one of the chief gods in the Rigveda

Vasant – Modern form of VASANTA

Vasanta – Means ‘brilliant’ or ‘spring’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu personification of the spring

Vasu – Means ‘bright, excellent’ in Sanskrit. This is an epithet of several Hindu gods. It also belonged to one of the authors of the Rigveda

Vayu – Means ‘air, wind’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu god of the air and wind, one of the five elements

Vena – Derived from Sanskrit (vena) meaning ‘yearning’. This is the name of an evil king in Hindu mythology

Vijay – Modern masculine form of VIJAYA

Vijaya – Means ‘victory’ in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form and the feminine form , both of which are used frequently in Hindu texts. It is the name of a grandson of Indra, a son of Krishna and it is another name of the goddess Durga. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century BC king of Sri Lanka

Vikram – Modern form of VIKRAMA

Vikrama – Means ‘stride, pace’ or ‘valour’ in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god Vishnu. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 1st-century BC king (full name Vikramaditya) of Ujjain in India

Viraj – Modern form of VIRAJA

Viraja – Means ‘ruling, sovereign’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of an offspring of Brahma in Hindu belief

Vishnu – Probably means ‘all-pervasive’ in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Vishnu is the protector and preserver of the universe, usually depicted as four-armed and blue-skinned. By some Hindus he is regarded as the supreme god

Hindu boy names starting with Y

Yama – Means ‘twin’ in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu god of death. He is also regarded as the first mortal being, or in other words, the first person to die. This name is related to Persian Jam