Hindi Names
Updated Sat Apr 20 2024
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Hindi baby names have their roots in the musical Hindi language, which is one of the five most spoken languages in the world.
Despite being little-known outside of the South-Asian subcontinent, many of the beautiful Hindi baby names below have real potential in the US and further afield: think Hindi girl names like Asha, Jaya, and Reva, or Hindi boy names like Ravi, Rohan, and Varan.
Hindi names are different than Hindu names — the former are rooted in the Hindi language, while the latter are connected to the Hindu religion.
Whether you're hoping to honor your heritage with a meaningful baby name of Hindi origin, or you're simply looking for unique baby names with history, find our full list of handsome Hindi names for babies here, ordered by their current popularity among the readers of Nameberry.
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- Lila
Origin:
Arabic, SanskritMeaning:
"night; play"Description:
Lila is one of the girl names with a double l sound — Lila, Lola, Layla, Leila, Lily et al — that have caught on in a major way., Delicate yet dynamic, Lila has a slightly international flair.
- Asha
Origin:
Sanskrit; SwahiliMeaning:
"hope; life"Description:
Asha is an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit word for hope or desire, but it is also a Swahili name derived from Aisha, meaning life. Since the ascendance of Ashley through the 1980s and 90s, all baby names Ash-related have been used in the U.S. for both girls and boys, from Ashlyn to Ashby, Ashton to Asher. Despite its separate roots, Asha is part of this group.
- Nara
Origin:
Japanese place name or CelticMeaning:
"happy"Description:
Soft, simple, and far more unusual than Tara or Farrah. As a Japanese place name, it's been used occasionally as a surname and is beginning to be used as a first. Nara is also the name of a Hindu (male) God and the name means "man" in Hindi.
- Sena
Origin:
Korean; Hindi; Turkish; Arabic; EweMeaning:
"this world's beauty or grace; army; to praise; bringing heaven to earth"Description:
Sena is one of those names that is as obscure in the Western World as it is simple and straightforward. Sena exists as a name in a range of languages and cultures and may be pronounced like Senna (with a soft e) or Sienna.
- Leia
Origin:
Variation of Leah, Laya, or Leya, Portuguese, Spanish, English, SanskritMeaning:
"weary; the law; dissolution"Description:
Most familiar in the English speaking world as the Star Wars princess, Jedi, and leader, Leia can be considered a pop culture choice, created by George Lucas who in turn likely based it on the Biblical Leah. It has been in the US Top 1000 since the mid-2000s and is also a popular choice in the UK and Sweden.
- Rohan
Origin:
Irish, Scottish, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit ,"rowan tree; redhead; sandalwood; ascension"Meaning:
"rowan tree; redhead; sandalwood; ascension"Description:
Simultaneously a name of Hindi and Sanskrit origin, a spelling variation of the popular Rowan and an anglicized form of Irish Ruadhán, Rohan is a cross-cultural choice.
- Aarav
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"peaceful"Description:
Aarav is derived from the Sanskrit root "rav," which is related to peace and music. Aarav is also associated with the concept of wisdom. It has traditionally been a common name among Hindus, who intentionally select names to inspire particular values in their children.
- Rita
Origin:
Spanish, HindiMeaning:
"pearl; truth, order"Description:
One of the glamour girl names of the Rita Hayworth 1940s, Rita was once a Top 50 name and stayed on the SSA list until 2002.
- Tula
Origin:
Choctaw, English, Spanish, Hindi, or KiswahiliMeaning:
"leaping waters; town; spear strength; mountain peak"Description:
Tula is a multicultural name, linked to the names Tallulah, Gertrude, and Tullia, a mountain range in Antarctica, and to the Greek Toula, used for the heroine of the hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
- Anara
Origin:
Kazakh, Persian, and HindiMeaning:
"pomegranate flower"Description:
Anara is a name that strikes a perfect balance between simple and unusual. It's easy to understand and pronounce for a Westerner, and yet it's highly distinctive, used for only 24 girls in the US in 2021. A recommended and unusual nature option.
- Reyansh
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"ray of light"Description:
This unusual Indian name, which refers to one of the names of Lord Vishnu, has been one of the fastest-growing boys' names of the last decade. It first managed to climb into the US Top 1000 in 2014. The nickname Rey Americanizes it.
- Leya
Origin:
Spanish; HindiMeaning:
"the law; lion"Description:
Leya is a simple, attractive multicultural choice, but with some teasing peril. The "Star Wars" princess spelled her name Leia.
- Ravi
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"sun; conferring"Description:
A title of the Hindu sun god, made cross-culturally famous by sitar player Ravi Shankar.
- Karma
Origin:
Hindi, Sanskrit "destiny, spiritual force; deed, fate"Meaning:
"destiny, spiritual force; deed, fate"Description:
Some parents are hoping to bestow good karma on their children with this name, derived from the Sanskrit word for "fate". Associated with the Hindu and Buddhist belief that someone's actions in this life (and their previous ones) decide their future existences, it is more informally used in the Western world to refer to good or bad luck.
- Niara
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"nebula, mist"Description:
More unusual alternative to Tiara.
- Shivani
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"life and death"Description:
Shivani sounds fresh and powerful.
- Neelam
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"blue sapphire"Description:
It is said that if one wears a flawless blue sapphire, it can remove poverty and provide health, wealth, long life, happiness and prosperity.
- Surya
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"sun god"Description:
Graceful Indian choice that may sound feminine to the Western ear but is in fact the name of a male god. One form of worship of Surya that may be familiar to Westerners is the sun salutation in yoga.
- Neela
Origin:
Hindi, SanskritMeaning:
"sapphire blue"Description:
A variation of Nila, a name spread through African by the substantial Indian population there. Also a variant of Neala and Neila.
- Nisha
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"night"Description:
Pretty name that hit the popularity charts in England in the late 1990s.