Hindi Names for Girls
By Nameberry
Updated Tue Jun 09 2020
Share
Copy link
Hindi names for girls have their roots in the musical Hindi language, which is one of the five most spoken languages in the world. But beautiful Hindi baby names remain remarkably underused outside of the Indian subcontinent, even though many sweet and simple Hindi girl names — like Asha, Jaya, Lila and Reva — feel like they could travel anywhere. Other Hindi names for girls — like Mirabai, Ishana and Kalindi — feel more rooted in Indian culture, and could make a meaningful choice for parents hoping to honor their heritage. With the representation of South-Asian figures in Western pop culture a hot topic right now, we hope and expect to hear more of these beautiful Hindi girls' names in future.
See below for our full list of gorgeous girl baby names of Hindi origin. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.
See below for our full list of gorgeous girl baby names of Hindi origin. The top names below rank among the current US Top 1000 Baby Names and are ordered by popularity. Unique names rank below the Top 1000 and are listed alphabetically.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Kirsi
Origin:
Hindi, Finnish diminutive of Kirstina and KirstenMeaning:
"amaranth blossoms; Christian, frost"Description:
This attractive multicultural name is found in India and Finland, where it is also a word meaning "frost."
- Jaya
Origin:
Hindi-SanskritMeaning:
"victory"Description:
This name of a Buddhist goddess, a possible alternative to the trendy Maya, was chosen for their daughter by Laura Dern and Ben Harper. Jaya is simple yet unusual, a winning combination, and one of the out-of-the-box goddess names as well as one of the most easily translated Hindi names for girls.
- Nita
Origin:
Hindi, Hebrew, and ChoctawMeaning:
"friendly, to plant, and bear"Description:
One of those slender names, like Lena or Etta, that's used in several cultures and carries a range of meanings. But by being so many things, it doesn't feel decidedly like anything.
- Nisha
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"night"Description:
Simple but sophisticated, Nisha is a pretty Sanskrit choice that hit the popularity charts in England in the late 1990s. The meaning "night" adds a slightly mystical element to name and it is a hugely popular choice in India, used across multiple languages.
- Hara
Origin:
Hindi; GreekMeaning:
"to seize; joy"Description:
In Hindi, Hara is one of the 1,008 names for the god Siva and, to English speakers, a possible feminine spin on Harry. In Greek the name is pronounced with emphasis on the last syllable, where it has the uplifting meaning "joy" (also seen as Chara).
- 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.
- Chandra
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"goddess of the moon"Description:
Chandra is the name of the Hindu moon goddess last groovy when incense and meditation were hot new concepts but a new possibility with the resurgence of astrology and other non-Western spiritual beliefs.
- Aja
Origin:
Spelling variation of Aya or HindiMeaning:
"goat"Description:
Sounds like and is often confused with Asia, though it has an air of retro cool via the seminal Steely Dan album. Or, pronounced eye-ah, it can be an alternate spelling of the international favorite Aya.
- Rani
Origin:
Hindi, HebrewMeaning:
"queen; she is singing"Description:
Rani, alternatively spelled Ranee, is the female equivalent of Raja in Hindi. In many Indo-Aryan languages it can mean "queen" or "lady". The Hebrew version is used for both genders in modern Israel. Actress Kate Hudson and director Danny Fujikawa named their daughter Rani after Fujikawa's late father, whose name was Ron.
- Mitra
Origin:
Hindi, Persian, GreekMeaning:
"friend; earth mother"Description:
Deriving from the Sanskrit Mithra, Mitra is the Hindu god of the sun and of friendship. This transcription is unisex in Hindi, while in Persian, it is the feminine form.
- Shivani
Origin:
HindiMeaning:
"life and death"Description:
Shivani sounds fresh and powerful.
- Sitara
Origin:
Urdu from PersianMeaning:
"star"Description:
A beautiful Urdu name with a musical sound and a lovely celestial meaning. Sitara got a boost in 2022, potentially from the award-winning 2020 short film "Sitara: Let Girls Dream", bringing awareness to the issue of child marriage.
Introducing the Nameberry App
Find your perfect baby name together with our new mobile app.
- Swipe through thousands of names with your partner
- Names you match on are saved to your shared list
- Get personalized recommendations that learn based on your and your partner's preferences
- Partner with friends and family to find names you all love
- Backed by Nameberry's 20 years of data around name preferences.
Sign up to be notified when the app launches and to receive a discount on full access.