By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 10 pages
of 10
Arabic
"crown"
Taj is a cool new name with ancient Eastern roots. While Taj can work for either sex, Taja might be a feminine alternative.
Hindi
"protector"
Name of one of the three main Hindu gods.
Sanskrit
"perceptive one"
This name is widely used in India.
"pearl"
Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza is popularizing this one.
"little goddess"
Nine little goddesses got this lovely name in the US in 2021, making it a usable yet unusual entry in the popular mythological category. Devika is a diminutive of Devi, the head goddess of Hindu…
"pure"
Common in India, but seldom heard in the US, Sachin is the kind of name that could easily cross cultural boundaries. Another name for the Hindu god Shiva, Sachin means "pure." Several notable Indian…
"natural"
Soft and rhythmic.
"praise, charm"
Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin is a master namer, and this unusual choice from India is beginning to be heard in nurseries as well as on television. Sansa was perhaps slower to catch on…
"life and death"
Shivani sounds fresh and powerful.
Hindi, name of a God
This name derives from the name Varuna, who in the Hindi faith was the god of water. Varun is, therefore, somewhat analogous to Neptune or Poseidon.
"a lucky omen"
Often heard in India, this is the name of the Hindu goddess of abundance, beauty, and prosperity, the embodiment of grace and charm --lucky omens indeed. The goddess Lakshmi is worshiped daily in…
Sanskrit, Southwest Asian place-name
Soft and alluring, much like the similarly named cloth, but might have political implications.
Sanskrit, Latin
"shore, sail"
Vela is one of those rare names that is at once simple, straightforward, authentic, and unusual, at least in the Western World. Besides being an Indian girls' name, Vela is a Southern sky…
"fair, white"
Gauri the Brilliant is one of the many names for the Hindu goddess Parvati.
Place-name and Sanskrit
"strength"
Evokes picture-postcard image of colorful Indonesia. Bali Barret is a Paris fashion insider who oversees women's style for Hermes. Bali rhymes with tally or galley.
"beautiful eyes"
Hip-swayingly evocative.
"filled with knowledge"
Almost unknown in the western world, Gyan comes from a Sanskrit word for knowledge. It may appeal to parents looking for a name influenced by eastern philosophy, like Bodhi or Zen.
"new, novel"
Sleek, and fresh, Navin is a Hindi name that could fit in with the currently popular in/an/en/on-ending boys' names.
"night"
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…
"knowledgeable"
Surname of a noted modern Urdu poet.
