I love that I grew up in an area with a lot of diversity and plenty of opportunities to explore other cultures. I also taught in very diverse schools with families from all over the world.
Something I love about Indian baby names is how meaningful they are and how they represent their culture and often draw inspiration from the many different religions.
Nowadays, families are more international than ever, so if you’re looking for a name that is both rooted in Indian culture, but timeless and modern, you’ll love this collection of names.
Because so many Indian names are derived from the religions and cultures in India, I am including meanings so you can better understand the origin!
Beautiful Indian Girl Names:
- Aarna – Goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity
- Aditi – Means “boundless, freedom and security”
- Adra – Means “beauty”
- Adya – Means “Mother Earth”
- Aisha – Means “alive and prosperous”
- Amara – Means “immortal or eternal”. This has appeared on other lists as well. Sometimes it is difficult to trace the true origin of a name, particularly when it spams so many cultures like Amara.
- Amita – In Sanskrit, means “limitless”
- Amna – Means “peace, desire and safety”
- Anisha – Means “sleepless”
- Anushka – Means “grace, favor” – this is an adorable name
- Arya – Means “noble goddess”
- Asha – Comes from the Sanskrit word for hope and desire
- Avani – Means “the good earth”
- Bali – Means “soldier”
- Bodhi – Refers to the Bodhi tree and means “enlightenment”
- Chaitali – Means “one who is born in the month of Chaitra”
- Charita – Means “good” in Sanskrit
- Chetana – Means “perceptive and conscious”
- Daksha – Means “earth”
- Danika – Means “morning star”
- Darsha – Means “to have vision”
- Daya – Means “kindness and compassion”
- Divya – Means “divine” or “divine brilliance” – wow!
- Elina – Means “smart” or “intelligent”
- Gina – Means “silvery”
- Gini – Means “golden”
- Giva – Means “hill of high place”
- Harita – Means “green” or “nature”
- Harisha – Means “happiness”, how sweet!
- Ila – Means “earth”
- Ina – Means “mother of all”
- Indira – Means “beauty” in Sanskrit
- Iniya – Means “sweet”
- Ishaani – Another name for the Goddess Parvati
- Jaya – Means “victorious one”
- Kaira – So cute! Means “peaceful”
- Kali – Hindu goddess of destruction
- Kamala – Means “lotus”
- Karima – Means “precious”
- Kaveri – A river that flows through India
- Late – Means “vine”
- Leela – Means “play” and “dark beauty”
- Mallika – Means “queen” or “a vine”
- Mina – Means “precious blue stone”
- Neha – Means “rain”
- Nisha – Means “night”
- Noor – Also on the Arabic girl name list!
- Padma – One of the 108 names given to the goddess Lakshmi
- Pari – Means “fairy”
- Priya – Love this one! Means “beloved”.
- Rani – Means “she is singing”
- Richa – Means “hymn”
- Riya – Means “singer”
- Saniya – Means “pearl”
- Shanti – Means “peace”
- Shifa – Means “truthful” and ”friend”
- Shivani – Another name for the goddess Pavarti
- Sonia – Means “wise”
- Vaani – Means “speech”
- Varsha – Means “rain”
- Veda – The most sacred texts of Hinduism
- Vina – Means “stringed instrument”
- Wishi – Means “fulfill a wish”
- Yamini – Means “night” or “nocturnal”
Modern Indian Boy Names:
Naming a child in India is taken very seriously. With so many names inspired by mythology, history, and even gods, it’s easy to understand why these names carry such weight and significance.
Indian boy names are just as rich in meaning and while there is a vast number of choices, I have paired down this list to the most cool and modern selections.
- Advik – Means “creativity”
- Ajay – In Sanskrit, this means “invincible”
- Amir – Means “full and prosperous”
- Amrit – Means “immortality”
- Anik – Means “strong”
- Arnesh – Means “Lord of the sea”
- Aryan – Means “ancient”
- Aseem – Means “unlimited” and “eternity”
- Avik – Means “brave and fearless”
- Ayaan – Means “gift of god”
- Bodhi – A gender neutral name also on the girl’s list, Bodhi means “enlightenment“
- Chandan – The name of the Sandalwood tree in Hindi.
- Chetan – Means “intelligence” and “vigor“
- Deepak – Like Deepak Chopra, means “source of light”
- Devesh – Means “God of Gods”
- Haro – Means “sun, moon and light”
- Ishaan – Means “the sun”
- Ivaan – Means “glorious” and “gracious”
- Jai – Sanskrit for “victory”
- Jayesh – Also means “victory”
- Jovan – Means “nice” and “youth”
- Kamal – Means “lotus” and “perfection”
- Karan – Means “an intelligent and talented warrior or person”
- Kavan – Means “poem or poetry”
- Kiaan – Means “by God’s grace”
- Kirin – Means “praiser” and “poet”
- Manish – Means “the God of mind”
- Naman – Means “salutation or to bow down before the creator”
- Naveen – Means “beautiful” and “pleasant”
- Need – Means “champion”
- Neil – Means “blue”
- Nihal – Means “successful” or “positive”
- Nivan – Means “bound or limited”
- Lal – Means ”beloved or dear one”
- Rajesh – Means “king”
- Raman – Means “pleasing and beloved”
- Rani – Means “traveler”
- Rashi – Also means “traveler”
- Ravi – Means “benevolent”
- Rohan – Means “ascending”
- Sahil – Means “guide”
- Sai – Means “flower”
- Samir – Means “entertaining companion”
- Sanjay – Means “victory”
- Shaan – Means “pride” and “peaceful”
- Sunny – Means “sunshine”
- Tanay – Means “son”
- Tarak – Means “star” and “protector”
- Vittal – Means “fortune giver”
More Baby Names:
Still looking for that perfect baby name? There are tons of great baby name lists on the blog. Be sure to go to this post and download your free baby name tracker for your faves. There are also tons of baby name lists attached to that post to give even more options!
Here are a few more to get you started:
- 25 Must-Have Baby Items for your Registry
- 86 Nature Boy Names the Outdoorsy Parent Will Love!
- 117 Strong Short Boy Names!
- 60+ Unique Unisex Names Everyone Will Love!
- 90 Cute Boy Names with the Best Nicknames!
Have a fabulous day,
E
