Hindu Baby Names by Rashi & Nakshatra

Choosing a Hindu baby name the traditional way

In many Hindu families a baby's name isn't picked from a list of favourites alone. It starts with a sound. That sound comes from the Moon's position at the moment of birth, read through the nakshatra (lunar mansion) and its pada (quarter). Each of the 27 nakshatras has four padas, and each pada has one syllable, so there are 108 starting sounds in all. The table that lists them is called the Avakahada chakra, and it's the same one you'll find printed in most panchangs.

Once you know the syllable, the search gets much easier. A baby born in Rohini nakshatra pada 2 gets "Va", so names like Varun, Vaidehi or Vasudha fit. A baby in Hasta pada 1 gets "Pu", which points to Pushkar, Punit or Purvi. This page lets you go from that sound to a real shortlist, with meanings in English and Hindi.

Rashi letters at a glance

If you only know the rashi (Moon sign), you can use any of its nine syllables. Here are the traditional letters for each rashi:

You'll notice some Latin spellings show up twice, like "Ta" under Leo and Libra. That's because Hindi has two sounds for it: ट (hard) and त (soft). Tanvi (तन्वी) uses त, so it belongs to Tula. We place every name by its Hindi spelling first and also list it under the other sound with a small * mark, which is how most printed lists handle it too.

How to use this page

• Know the exact nakshatra? Open its page from the nakshatra list and pick from the pada syllable.
• Only know the rashi? Open the rashi page and browse all nine letters.
• Don't know either? Use the baby name letter calculator with the birth date, time and place.
• Already like a sound? Use the letter pages or the search box to find names that start with it.

Every name shows its Devanagari spelling, a short meaning in both languages, gender, origin and the rashi and nakshatra its first syllable points to. Search works on meanings too, so typing "light", "lotus" or "प्रकाश" brings up names with those meanings.

A few practical tips

Say it with the surname

A name that sounds lovely on its own can be a mouthful with a long surname. Say the full name out loud a few times, and try it the way grandparents and school friends will say it.

Check the meaning in both languages

Many Sanskrit names have more than one meaning. We show the most common one. If a meaning matters a lot to you, read it in Hindi as well, it often carries a nuance the English hides.

Think about the spelling

Aarav or Arav? Ishaan or Ishan? Both are fine. If you care about name numerology, run your shortlist through our name numerology calculator since the spelling changes the number.

Keep two names if you like

Some families keep a "nakshatra name" for rituals and use a different everyday name. That's an old and common practice, so don't feel boxed in by the syllable.

About this list

The list has over 1,600 names collected from common Sanskrit, Hindi and regional usage, with boys and girls roughly balanced. We've kept names with clear, positive meanings and left out made-up ones. New names are added from time to time. If you're looking for something modern and unique, the search and letter filters make it quick to scan.