Aditi's seven children, Hindu Gods, are named Aditya.

Aditya

Strong, attractive, and stylish, Amara is a true multicultural choice enjoying some popularity in both the US and the UK. In the US Top 1000 since the turn of this century, Amara has been holding steady in the rankings between overly popular and obscure.
 
Amara is the Italian word for bitter, from the same root as Mary and Miriam. It has separate roots in West Africa as a name that means "grace" in the Igbo language. These two meanings are the best-known, but Amara is also a Sanskrit name meaning "immortal", an Arabic word meaning "tribe" and a Mongolian name meaning "peaceful".

Amara

The Spanish form of Amaya is both a given name and a surname, originating from the Spanish mountain and village of Amaya. In this context it means "mother city" or "the capital." Amaya can also be considered a derivation of Amaia, a Basque name meaning "the end." In Japan, Amaya is a surname.
 
Actors Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann are the parents of a young daughter named Amaya Josephine.

Amaya

Unfortunate association with Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. 

Amin

A multi-cultural choice overflowing with charm.

Anisha

This Indian name meaning gift or offering feels familiar via sound-alikes Angela or Angelina, and made a brief appearance on the U.S. Top 1000. Anjali is a pretty route to a name that's at once easy to understand and uncommon.

Anjali

This popular Indian name is heard in the US. Bollywood actor Akshay Khanna has a son named Arnav.

Arnav

Arun is the common masculinization of the name Aruna, the Hindu god who drives the sun god Surya across the sky in his chariot. Aruna is also used as a female name.

For parents looking for a cross-cultural name, Arun is pronounced similarly to the Hebrew Aaron.

Arun

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."
 
The prime impetus of Arya's rise is the fiercely independent young character Arya Stark in the TV series Game of Thrones, based on the George R. R. Martin books A Song of Fire and Ice. Another influence is the Elven princess in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle trilogy, basis of the movie Eragon. 
 
The name resembles the musical Aria and the male Aryan, both also growing in popularity in the US. Arya entered the popularity charts in 2010.

Arya

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.
 
Asha is finding new life through its Game of Thrones connections. Disney has announced an upcoming film titled Wish, which will feature a heroine named Asha who may likely be the next Disney Princess.
 
Read more about Asha and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Asha

A name often heard in India, with an energetic sound and an ecologically correct meaning.

Avani

Amar

Amba

Amrita

Arav

Bodhi is a Sanskrit name translated as "enlightenment" or "awakening" which relates to a Buddhist concept, wherein Bodhi is synonymous with the state of nirvana, being freed from hate, greed and ego. The Bodhi tree is a large fig tree under which the founder of Buddhism received enlightenment. Spelling variations include Bodie and Bode.
 
Bodhi has recently been appearing as a baby name in the American celebrisphere, first heard via Bodhi Elfman, husband of Jenna. Since then it has been used by four celebrity couples as the first name for their sons, and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio as the middle name for his boy, Luka. Carly Simon and James Taylor have a grandson named Bodhi. And who remembers that it was the name of the Patrick Swayze character in the 1991 film "Point Break"?
 
As opposed to some other religious and <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/254/spiritual-baby-names">spiritual names</a>, Bodhi has an upbeat, friendly feel, similar to that of Brody and Cody.

Bodhi

Bala

Devan

A sweet and simple multicultural choice which has several different meanings and origins. 

 Widely used in Africa, it's a variant spelling of Dia, which means "love" in Lembaama. 

 It's a Hindi name meaning "lamp, light". It may also metaphorically refer to knowledge – light given by the Devas (gods) to drive away the darkness of ignorance.

 Diya can also be a variant spelling of Dea, from the Latin dea "goddess".

Diya

Devak

Eesha

Ekta

Gautam

A simple name occasionally heard a couple of generations back. 

A striking and feminine possibility associated with a modern hero — longtime Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi. 

Indira

A short and sweet Hindi name which has been relatively popular in the UK – peaking at #280 there in 2003. 

Isha

Ishan

Jiya

Kamal carries two positive associations: one of the ninety-nine qualities of Allah listed in the Quran and the evocative lotus flower. Americans might recognize it as the male equivalent of Kamala, as in Vice President Kamala Harris.

Kamal

A multicultural name that manages to sound soft and strong at the same time, Kamala is also another name for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

 Former California Attorney General Kamala Harris (who describes her own name's pronunciation as COMMA-la), Joe Biden's vice presidential pick in the 2020 election, is the first Indian-American and the first Black woman to run on a US Presidential ticket for a major party – preceded only by Charlotta Bass, who ran on the Progressive Party ticket in 1952. Kamala Harris's mother was Indian and her father is Jamaican.

 A rising star in the Democratic Party, Harris was sworn in as her state's junior senator in January 2017 and instantly became one of the most visible critics of the Trump Administration. She makes Kamala one of the most recognizable <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/539/hindi-names-for-girls">Hindi names for girls</a>, with a strong sound and international appeal.

Kamala

Keva

Although Krishna is popular in India, only this diminutive variation made the US Top 1000 in 2013.

Krish

Kavya

Kiran

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.

Leela

Mala is one of those names that's both simple and exotic, easy to pronounce yet unfamiliar to many English speakers. 

Mala

Maya, which has an almost mystical image, has been steadily climbing in popularity in the US and the English-speaking world, along with a range of other countries, including France, Germany, Israel, and Brazil. It's ranked in the US Top 100 since the turn of this century, but has never risen to the top of the list, which you may consider a good thing.
 
In addition to being the name of a Central American culture, Maya was the legendary Greek mother of Hermes by Zeus, and means "illusion" in Sanskrit and Eastern Pantheism. It can also be spelled Maia, though both names have so many possible origins and meanings that not all of them are related. 
 </brTo the Romans, Maia/Maya was the incarnation of the earth mother and goddess of spring, after whom they named the month of May.
 Famed author Maya Angelou was born Marguerite; Maya was coined by her brother saying "mya sister." Its best known current bearers include performer Maya Rudolph and architect Maya Lin. 
Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke's actress daughter is Maya Ray. British designer Phoebe Philo also has a Maya, named for Angelou, as does Israeli actress Gal Gadot.

Maya

Meena

Mahi

Mayur

Mayuri

Nathan is an Old Testament name that's ranked among the Top 100 names for boys for 50 years, and could well stay there for another 50. Strong, solid, and attractive, It's a name familiar to every schoolchild through Nathan Hale, the Revolutionary War spy.
 Nathan was derived from the name Natan, which came from Hebrew verb natan, meaning "gave." In the Old Testament, Nathan was the name of a prophet and also that of one of King David's sons. Nathaniel and Jonathan are related names.
 
Along with the US, Nathan ranks in the Top 100 throughout the English-speaking world as well as in France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. 
 Nat and Nate (as featured on TV shows like Six Feet Under and Gossip Girl) are just the kind of friendly, old-fashioned nicknames that are now very much in style.
 Nathans have starred in some classic films — it was the name of the character played by Kevin Kline in Sophie's Choice, by Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, and Frank Sinatra was Nathan Detroit in the film version of Guys and Dolls. Nathan Zuckerman is the protagonist of several novels by Philip Roth.
 In the public eye right now is Nathan Fillion, who portrays TV's Castle. Nathan was chosen for his son by Jon Stewart.

Nathan

Would fit right in with the currently popular in/an/en/on-ending boys' names. 

Navin

Nayana

Neha

Nikhil

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

Nisha

Nirav

A name rich in Hindu tradition as the alternate name for the Goddess Lakshmi, the embodiment of beauty and charm; currently borne, appropriately, by model-actress-writer Padma Lakshmi. 

Padma

Known here via the son of Indira Gandhi, who himself became prime minister of India. 

Rajiv

From India, but feels like an Irish surname (and can in fact be a variation of Rowan), so a possible cross-cultural choice. 

Rohan

Riya

Rupa

Shreya is an Indian name with several positive meanings--beautiful, fortunate, auspicious, favorable--and ties to the goddess Lakshmi.
 Shreya was on the U.S. popularity list from 2002 to 2005.

Shreya

Early European import, well known in the 1940s via Norwegian skating movie star Sonja Henie, that has sailed back across the Atlantic, despite the rising popularity of other Russian names. 

Sonia

Satya

Shiva

Shyam

Sita

Soma

Sonali

Surya

Despite a rich history in Irish myth preceding its plantation appearance in Gone with the Wind, widespread use in the seventies caused Tara to lose its Irish accent.
 American actress Tara Reid helped bring attention to this name, though her career dropped off in tandem with the popularity of the name. Her most recent credits include the B-movie Sharknado series.

Tara

Tanvi

Tarun

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 <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular name</a>, 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.

Veda

Alternate transcription of Vina, a pretty Sanskrit name with a musical meaning.

Veena

Classic Indian name with a winning meaning — literally.

Vijay

Vidya

Vihan

Jyoti's list "Indian names" of 71 great name ideas: Aditya - Vihan!

Indian names

Alphabetized list of names of male and female Sanskrit names that are generally easy to pronounce, more-or-less short, or have easy/intuitive nicknames.
