​
​
Advanced Search

Indian Girl Names

Nameberry
By Nameberry
Updated Tue Jun 09 2020
Indian names for girls are often rooted in either Hindi, the dominant language of India, or Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language. The Indian names for girls in our database also include a sprinkling of Punjabi and Urdu names. Indian names that are most familiar to English speakers are often the names of female celebrities, such as Priyanka Chopra or Padma Lakshmi. Other popular Indian baby names for girls include Chandra, Kalinda, Savita, and Lalita. There are many gorgeous Indian names for girls that may appeal to parents in India or elsewhere.

Browse our full list of Indian baby girl names here. 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. Sansa

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "praise, charm"

    • Description:

      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 than other names such as Arya and Khaleesi as Sansa Stark was in the first seasons of the show a weak and compromised character.
  3. Opal

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "gem"

    • Description:

      Opal is on the verge of a repolishing, following other jewel names like Ruby and Pearl. A Top 100 name during the first two decades of the twentieth century, the opalescent Opal has a good chance of coming back as another O-initial option.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Uma

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "light, peace, nation"

    • Description:

      Uma is a sweet, strong name for a Hindu goddess... and a Hollywood one. But as popular as Uma Thurman is, other parents have not yet picked up on her name, making it a rarity.
  7. 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.
  8. Arya

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit; Modern variation of Aria

    • Meaning:

      "noble; air/song"

    • Description:

      Arya was derived from an Indo-Iranian word meaning "Aryan" or "noble." It is a masculine given name in Iran, Indonesia, Bali, and Sanskrit-speaking regions of India. In Hindu- and English-speaking parts of the world, Arya is more often a feminine name, the latter influenced by the similar Italian name Aria, meaning "air" or "song."
  9. Priya

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "beloved"

    • Description:

      Priya originated in India as a name derived from the Sanskrit word for "beloved." In India, where names are often given based on one's birthday and horoscope, Priya is traditionally given to girls born in August. Priya is used in Hindu mythology as the name of a daughter of King Daksha—known for fathering 146 daughters.
  10. 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.
  11. Kali

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit, English

    • Meaning:

      "black one; free man; beauty"

    • Description:

      Kali is a number of different things: a playful, contemporary twist on the name Callie; the Hindu goddess of destruction; an alternative spelling for Kaylee; a short form of the Arablic Kalila, the Greek Kalista, or the African American Kaliyah; a masculine name in India; and a trendy form of Kali(fornia).
  12. Veda

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "knowledge"

    • Description:

      A name with religious resonance, as the Vedas are the most sacred texts of Hinduism. Outside of that religious context, Veda has the makings of a modern popular name, with its sharp V initial, two syllables, and feminine a ending. This is evidenced by it reentry into the US Top 1000 in 2015, after fifty-five years off the list. Similar names on the rise are Vera and Vada.
  13. 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.
  14. Vela

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit, Latin

    • Meaning:

      "shore, sail"

    • Description:

      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 constellation whose name is Latin for sail – originally part of the Argo Navis constellation.
  15. Leia

    • Origin:

      Variation of Leah, Laya, or Leya, Portuguese, Spanish, English, Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  16. 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.
  17. Parvati

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "the daughter of the mountain"

    • Description:

      This Hindu goddess name is very popular in India. The goddess of love, fertility and devotion, representing female force, Parvati is the wife of Shiva and the mother of Ganesh. There is a Harry Potter character named Parvati Patil, a twin sister of Padma..
  18. Rania

    • Origin:

      Arabic, Greek

    • Meaning:

      "to gaze, to look; heavenly"

    • Description:

      As an Arabic name, Rania is a variation of Raniya, ultimately derived from the Arabic word ranā meaning "to gaze" or "side look". Other descendants of this root include Ranya and Rana itself. Familiar in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands and France, Rania is currently borne by Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of Jordan.
  19. Kirsi

    • Origin:

      Hindi, Finnish diminutive of Kirstina and Kirsten

    • Meaning:

      "amaranth blossoms; Christian, frost"

    • Description:

      This attractive multicultural name is found in India and Finland, where it is also a word meaning "frost."
  20. Leela

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "play"

    • Description:

      While Leela may be a spelling variation of Lila or Leila, it's also an Indian name in its own right with a playful meaning. And unlike it's more popular Western sisters, Leela does not create pronunciation confusion.

Introducing the Nameberry App

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.
Nameberry App Logo