Kannada Origin Names

Abhinav m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu
Means "young, fresh" in Sanskrit.

Abhishek m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil
Means "anointing" in Sanskrit.

Aishwarya f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil
Means "prosperity, wealth" in Sanskrit. A famous bearer is the Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (1973-).

Ajay m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil
Means "unconquered", from Sanskrit अ (a) meaning "not" and जय (jaya) meaning "victory, conquest".

Akshay m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada
Means "undecaying, imperishable" in Sanskrit.

Amit 1 m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Punjabi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali
Means "immeasurable, infinite" in Sanskrit.

Anuradha f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Sinhalese
From the name of a constellation in Hindu astrology, meaning "causing success", from Sanskrit अनु (anu) meaning "after" and राधा (radha) meaning "success, prosperity".

Aravind m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil
Means "lotus" in Sanskrit.

Aravinda m Kannada
Alternate transcription of Kannada ಅರವಿಂದ (see Aravind).

Archana f Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil
Means "honouring, praising" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu ritual.

Asha 1 f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam
Derived from Sanskrit आशा (asha) meaning "wish, desire, hope".

Ashish m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
From Sanskrit आशिष (ashisha) meaning "prayer, blessing".

Ashwin m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit अश्विन् (ashvin) meaning "possessed of horses". The Ashvins are twin Hindu gods of the sunrise and sunset.

Avinash m Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada
Means "indestructible" in Sanskrit.

Balakrishna m Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit बल (bala) meaning "strength, might" combined with the name of the Hindu god Krishna.

Bhavana f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam
Means "producing, manifesting, thought, emotion" in Sanskrit.

Bhavna f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi भावना, Kannada ಭಾವನಾ or Malayalam ഭാവന (see Bhavana).

Chandana f & m Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Bengali, Sinhalese
Feminine form of Chandan, as well as the Sinhala masculine form.

Chandrasekhar m Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Odia
Alternate transcription of Telugu చంద్రశేఖర్, Tamil சந்திரசேகர், Kannada ಚಂದ್ರಶೇಖಾರ್ or Odia ଚନ୍ଦ୍ରଶେଖର (see Chandrashekhar).

Chandrashekhar m Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Odia
Means "crown of the moon", derived from Sanskrit चन्द्र (chandra) meaning "moon" and शेखर (shekhara) meaning "crest, peak, crown". This is an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva.

Chetan m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada
Means "visible, conscious, soul" in Sanskrit.

Darshan m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada
Means "seeing, observing, understanding" in Sanskrit.

Deepika f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi दीपिका, Kannada ದೀಪಿಕಾ, Malayalam ദീപിക, Tamil தீபிகா or Telugu దీపికా (see Dipika).

Deepti f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi दीप्ती or Kannada ದೀಪ್ತಿ (see Dipti).

Dipika f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
Feminine form of Dipaka.

Dipti f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada
Means "brightness, light" in Sanskrit.

Divya f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam
Means "divine, heavenly" in Sanskrit.

Geetha f Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
South Indian form of Gita 1.

Hema f Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada
Means "golden" in Sanskrit.

Kalpana f Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Nepali
Means "imagining, fantasy" in Sanskrit.

Kavitha f Telugu, Tamil, Kannada
South Indian form of Kavita.

Kiran f & m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Gujarati, Nepali, Urdu
Derived from Sanskrit किरण (kirana), which can mean "dust" or "thread" or "sunbeam".

Leela f Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam
Alternate transcription of Lila 1.

Madhu f & m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu
From Sanskrit मधु (madhu) meaning "sweet, honey". This is another name of Chaitra, the first month of the Hindu year (which occurs in March and April).

Madhuri f Marathi, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada
Means "sweetness" in Sanskrit.

Meera f Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi मीरा, Malayalam മീര, Tamil மீரா or Kannada ಮೀರಾ (see Mira 1).

Mira 1 f Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada
Means "sea, ocean" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a 16th-century Indian princess who devoted her life to the god Krishna.

Nalini f Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi
Means "lotus" in Sanskrit.

Naveen m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi नवीन, Kannada ನವೀನ್, Telugu నవీన్, Tamil நவீன் or Malayalam നവീൻ (see Navin).

Navin m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam
Means "new" in Sanskrit.

Neha f Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu
Possibly from Sanskrit स्नेह (sneha) meaning "love, tenderness".

Nikhil m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil
Means "whole, entire" in Sanskrit.

Nirmal m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Nepali
Means "clean, pure" in Sanskrit.

Nirmala f Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Nepali, Indonesian
Feminine form of Nirmal.

Nirupama f Hindi, Kannada
Means "unequaled, matchless" in Sanskrit.

Nisha f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Nepali
Means "night" in Sanskrit.

Nithin m Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada
Southern Indian variant of Nitin.

Nithya f Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam
Southern Indian form of Nitya.

Nitin m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit नीति (niti) meaning "guidance, moral conduct".

Padmini f Kannada, Tamil, Telugu
Means "multitude of lotuses", a derivative of Sanskrit पद्म (padma) meaning "lotus".

Pallavi f Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil
Feminine form of Pallav.

Pooja f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Nepali
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali पूजा, Gujarati પૂજા, Bengali পূজা, Gurmukhi ਪੂਜਾ, Telugu పూజా, Malayalam പൂജ, Tamil பூஜா or Kannada ಪೂಜಾ (see Puja).

Poornima f Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Tamil பூர்ணிமா, Kannada ಪೂರ್ಣಿಮಾ or Hindi/Marathi पूर्णिमा (see Purnima).

Pradeep m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi प्रदीप, Bengali প্রদিপ, Malayalam പ്രദീപ്, Kannada ಪ್ರದೀಪ್, Telugu ప్రదీప్, Tamil பிரதீப் or Nepali प्रदिप (see Pradip).

Pradip m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit प्रदीप (pradipa) meaning "light, lantern".

Prakash m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit प्रकाश (prakasha) meaning "light, bright, shining".

Prasad m Telugu, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Odia, Bengali, Nepali
Means "brightness, clearness, graciousness, offering" in Sanskrit. This is a word referring to an offering of food made to a deity.

Prasanna m Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Odia, Hindi
Means "clear, bright, tranquil" in Sanskrit.

Praveen m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi प्रवीण, Gujarati પ્રવીણ, Kannada ಪ್ರವೀಣ್, Telugu ప్రవీణ్, Tamil பிரவீண் or Malayalam പ്രവീൺ (see Pravin).

Praveena f Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Pravina.

Pravin m Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam
Means "skilled" in Sanskrit.

Preethi f Kannada, Tamil
South Indian form of Priti.

Prem m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Means "love, affection" in Sanskrit.

Prema f Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Nepali, Hindi
Feminine form of Prem.

Priyanka f Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali
From Sanskrit प्रियंकर (priyankara) meaning "agreeable, amiable".

Puja f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Nepali
Means "honour, worship" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu ritual of reverence.

Purnima f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada
Means "full moon" in Sanskrit.

Pushpa f & m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali
Means "flower" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form पुष्पा and the masculine form पुष्प. Especially in Nepal it is frequently masculine.

Radha f & m Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi
Means "success, prosperity" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the favourite consort of the Hindu god Krishna. She is associated with beauty and compassion, and is considered an avatar of Lakshmi.

Raj m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Means "empire, royalty", from Sanskrit राज्य (rajya).

Raja 2 m Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Indonesian
Means "king, ruler", from Sanskrit राजन् (rajan).

Rajesh m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
Means "ruler of kings" from Sanskrit राज (raja) meaning "king" and ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler".

Rakesh m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
Means "lord of the full moon" from Sanskrit राका (raka) meaning "full moon" and ईश (isha) meaning "lord, ruler".

Ramakrishna m Telugu, Kannada
Combination of the names of the Hindu deities Rama 1 and Krishna. This name was borne by the Hindu religious teacher Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886).

Rashmi f & m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil
Means "ray of sunlight" or "rope" in Sanskrit.

Rohan 1 m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
Derived from Sanskrit रोहण (rohana) meaning "ascending".

Rohit m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Odia, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit रोहित (rohita) meaning "red".

Sampath m Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Sinhalese
From Sanskrit सम्पत्ति (sampatti) meaning "success, wealth".

Sandeep m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi संदीप, Bengali সন্দীপ, Gurmukhi ਸੰਦੀਪ, Gujarati સંદિપ, Kannada ಸಂದೀಪ್, Malayalam സന്ദീപ്, Telugu సందీప్, Tamil சந்தீப் or Nepali सन्दीप (see Sandip).

Sandip m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali
Means "blazing" in Sanskrit.

Sanjeev m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Kannada
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi संजीव, Gujarati સંજીવ, Gurmukhi ਸੰਜੀਵ, Telugu సంజీవ్ or Kannada ಸಂಜೀವ್ (see Sanjiv).

Sanjiv m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Kannada
Derived from Sanskrit संजीव (sanjiva) meaning "living, reviving".

Sarala f Tamil, Telugu, Kannada
Feminine form of Saral.

Sashi m & f Kannada
Alternate transcription of Kannada ಶಶಿ (see Shashi).

Shanthi f Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada
Southern Indian form of Shanti.

Shashi m & f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu
Traditional name for the moon, it literally means "having a hare" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form शशि and the feminine form शशी (spelled with a long final vowel).

Sheela f Marathi, Kannada, Hindi, Tamil
Alternate transcription of Shila.

Shobha f Kannada, Hindi, Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit शोभा (shobha) meaning "brilliance".

Sneha f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
Means "love, tenderness" in Sanskrit.

Srinivas m Telugu, Kannada, Tamil
Southern Indian form of Shrinivas.

Sudarshan m Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada
Means "beautiful, good-looking" in Sanskrit, derived from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" combined with दर्शन (darshana) meaning "seeing, observing".

Sudheer m Telugu, Kannada
Alternate transcription of Telugu సుధీర్ or Kannada ಸುಧೀರ್ (see Sudhir).

Sudhir m Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu
Derived from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good, very" combined with धीर (dhira) meaning "wise, considerate".

Suman m & f Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Nepali
Means "well-disposed, good mind", derived from the Sanskrit prefix सु (su) meaning "good" combined with मनस् (manas) meaning "mind".

Sunil m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali
From Sanskrit सु (su) meaning "good, very" combined with नील (nila) meaning "dark blue".

Veda f Telugu, Kannada
Means "knowledge" in Sanskrit.

Venkat m Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam
Variant of Venkata.

Venkata m Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam
From the name of a sacred hill in Andhra Pradesh in southern India. It is the home of the Venkateswara Temple, a pilgrimage site for Hindus.

Vinay m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil
Means "leading, guidance, modesty" in Sanskrit.

Vishal m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali
Means "wide, broad, spacious" in Sanskrit.

Vivek m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali
Means "wisdom, distinction, discrimination" in Sanskrit.

Yash m Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada
Derived from Sanskrit यशस् (yashas) meaning "fame, praise, glory".