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Hindi Names for Girls

Nameberry
Updated Tue Jun 09 2020
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.
  1. Lila

    • Origin:

      Arabic, Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  2. Asha

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit; Swahili

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  3. Nara

    • Origin:

      Japanese place name or Celtic

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  4. Sena

    • Origin:

      Korean; Hindi; Turkish; Arabic; Ewe

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  5. Tula

    • Origin:

      Choctaw, English, Spanish, Hindi, or Kiswahili

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  6. Leia

    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Leya, Spanish; Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "the law; lion"

    • Description:

      This spelling variation of Leya was popularized by the Star Wars films, but is still firmly in the US Top 1000 many years later. This spelling is also probably preferred as it is clearer in pronunciation to the original Hindi name, Leya (which sometime gets pronounced Lee-ah).
  7. Rita

    • Origin:

      Spanish, Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  8. Anara

    • Origin:

      Kazakh, Persian, and Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  9. Shivani

    • Origin:

      Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "life and death"

    • Description:

      Shivani sounds fresh and powerful.
  10. Leya

    • Origin:

      Spanish; Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "the law; lion"

    • Description:

      Leya is a simple, attractive multicultural choice, but with some teasing peril. The "Star Wars" princess spelled her name Leia.
  11. Nita

    • Origin:

      Hindi, Hebrew, and Choctaw

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  12. Chandra

    • Origin:

      Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  13. Karma

    • Origin:

      Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "destiny, spiritual force"

    • Description:

      Some parents, including rapper Ludacris, are literally bestowing good karma on their children; it could just join the new spiritual name congregation.
  14. Tulsi

    • Origin:

      Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "basil"

    • Description:

      Tulsi is more than a simple nature name: The holy basil plant is sacred in the Hindu religion, used to honor the god Vishnu and representative of his consort, the goddess Tulsi. The Tulsi plant is often planted in Hindu houses and is used for medicinal as well as ritualistic purposes.
  15. Jaya

    • Origin:

      Hindi-Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  16. Akasha

    • Origin:

      Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "ether"

    • Description:

      This Hindi name for the fifth element, related to the male Akash which means "open sky," was used by Anne Rice in her Vampire Chronicles.
  17. Nisha

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "night"

    • Description:

      Pretty name that hit the popularity charts in England in the late 1990s.
  18. Deva

    • Origin:

      Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "divine, shining one"

    • Description:

      If you don't want your daughter to be a Diva, try this Hindu moon goddess name that was chosen by actress Monica Bellucci for hers.
  19. Kerala

    • Origin:

      Indian place name

    • Description:

      Kerala, the name of the most beautiful and touristed state of India, has recently debuted on the U.S. extended popularity list as a first name for girls. And why not? Kerala sounds lovely and rhythmic and in tune with the Kardashian-influenced taste for all names K.
  20. Anala

    • Origin:

      Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "fire"

    • Description:

      Indian choice meaning fire in step with American styles.