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Indian Names (Girls)

madmaddie
By madmaddie
Updated Thu May 25 2023
I am half-Indian, so I have met cousins with many of these names. (Or I just like them.)
  1. Indira

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "beauty"

    • Description:

      A striking and feminine possibility associated with a modern hero — longtime Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi.
  2. 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.
  3. Kali

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit, English

    • Meaning:

      "black one; free man"

    • 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).
  4. 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.
  5. Naya

    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Nia

    • Description:

      Related to Nia and Naia, Naya was new to the US Top 1000 in 2014 and benefits from the short and simple pronunciation that many parents are seeking in fresh names. It also has obvious similarities to popular Mia and Maya.
  6. Roma

    • Origin:

      Italian place-name

    • Description:

      Never as popular as Florence; today's parents might prefer Venezia, Verona, or Romy. It is also a Hindu name meaning "one with shiny hair" and is another name for the goddess Lakshmi.

  7. Rani

    • Origin:

      Hindi, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "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.
  8. Anjali

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "gift"

    • Description:

      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.
  9. Indra

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "possessing drops of rain"

    • Description:

      In the ancient Hindu religion, Indra is the warrior god of sky and rain, though in modern America, this might make a better girls' than boys' name. You can spell it Indre, like the French river, if you prefer.
  10. 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..
  11. Sarika

    • Origin:

      Hungarian variation of Sarah, Hebrew, Hindi, Sanskrit, Khmer

    • Description:

      Zippy and multicultural, Sarika can be considered a pretty nature name, referring to a myna bird in Hindi and Sanskrit and to a blackbird in Khmer (or Cambodian). In these contexts, it would be pronounced as SAHR-ka (Sanskrit) and saw-ree-GAW (Khmer).
  12. Shreya

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "fortunate, auspicious"

    • Description:

      Shreya is an Indian name with several positive meanings--beautiful, fortunate, auspicious, favorable--and ties to the goddess Lakshmi.
  13. Shakti

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "power"

    • Description:

      Shakti is the female equivalent of the god Shiva in Hinduism. A sacred name sometimes used in a secular way.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. Meena

    • Origin:

      Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "blue semiprecious stone, bird"

    • Description:

      Interesting multi-cultural option.
  17. Devina

    • Description:

      Devina is a feminine name with multiple potential origins. Most commonly, it's considered a variant of Davina, the feminine form of David, which comes from Hebrew meaning 'beloved.' Another interpretation connects it to divine or divinity, suggesting celestial or godly qualities. In Indian contexts, Devina may relate to 'devi,' meaning 'goddess.' The name carries an elegant, melodic quality across cultures. While never reaching widespread popularity, Devina has maintained steady, low-level usage throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Its cross-cultural appeal makes it accessible to various traditions while remaining distinctive. Parents may choose Devina for its soft sound combined with strong meaning, offering a balance between uniqueness and familiarity.

  18. Kalinda

    • Origin:

      Hindi

    • Meaning:

      "sun"

    • Description:

      This lovely, rhythmic Hindu nature name relates to the mythical Kalinda Mountains, from which a sacred river flows.
  19. Padma

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "lotus"

    • Description:

      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.
  20. Lalita

    • Origin:

      Sanskrit

    • Meaning:

      "playful, charming"

    • Description:

      Lolita without the naughty implications.