Sanskrit is an ancient and sacred language. It’s the basis of the texts of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and was a common language among different peoples right across ancient and medieval South Asia.
While literature written in Vedic Sanskrit deals only with religion, Classical Sanskrit can be found in everything from poems, epics and dramas, to law, medicine and mathematics.
Sanskrit names are also beautiful. As you look for names for your little one, try saying these options for both boys and girls out loud, too. You’re sure to find something both beautiful and meaningful for your little peanut.
In this article: 📝
20 of the most popular Sanskrit Names
20 cool Sanskrit names
More ideas for baby girl names in Sanskrit
More ideas for Sanskrit names for baby boys
20 of the most popular Sanskrit Names
Aditya: Meaning the sun, Aditya is a boys’ name.
Amber: In Sanskrit, Amber means the sky, but it’s also a beautiful honey-yellow, gold-orange gemstone. It’s a girls’ name.
Arjun: A boys’ name, Arjun means bright or shining in Sanskrit.
Avi: A light and breezy name (literally), Avi means sun and air. It’s a boys’ name.
Kali: A girls’ name, Kali is a force in Hindu mythology. The goddess of both destruction and enlightenment, she’s as likely to cause chaos as she is to lead the ignorant towards wisdom. The word means black in Sanskrit.
Karma: This word is widely used and known in the west. It means fate or destiny and refers to the Hindu and Buddhist belief that your intention and actions influence your future. It’s a girls’ name.
Kashmir: A state in India, Kashmir is also a girls’ name.
Kiran: Kiran means sunshine or a beam of light and is a boys’ name.
May: Originally a Sanskrit word meaning the fifth month, May also has ties to the Roman earth goddess, Maia. It’s a girls’ name.
Milan: A boys’ name in many parts of the world, Milan is a popular girls’ name in the US. In Sanskrit it means coming together or unification.
Nirvana: In Buddhism, nirvana refers to a state in which there is no suffering, desire or sense of self. In Sanskrit, it means bliss or liberation and is both a girls’ and a boys’ name.
Opal: Known as a gemstone with its many internal colors, Opal is also a Sanskrit girls’ name that means gem or jewel.
Priya: Priya means “beloved”, and is a girls’ name. In Hinduism, Priya is the name of the creator god, Daksha.
Raine: Meaning “she is singing” or “queen”, Raine can be used as a girls’ or boys’ name.
Rohan: Meaning red-haired, red, or even “ascending”, Rohan is a boys’ name that has both Sanskrit and Irish roots.
Samir: Samir is a boys’ name that means gentle breeze or wind.
Taj: Meaning crown, Taj is a boys’ name.
Tara: In Sanskrit, Tara means hill or star, and in Hindu mythology, the wife of Shiva is sometimes called Tara. Usually a girls’ name, it can be a boys’ name, too.
Uma: Uma is one of the names of the Indian goddess Parvati, wife of Shiva. It means splendor or tranquility in Sanskrit.
Veda: The Vedas are the Hindus’ four sacred texts, so giving your daughter this name carries great weight. It means knowledge or wisdom.