Tamil Origin Names

Aarthi f Tamil
Tamil form of Aarti.

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".

Amala f Tamil, Malayalam
Derived from Sanskrit अमल (amala) meaning "clean, pure".

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

Anbu m Tamil
Means "love" in Tamil.

Anita 2 f Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Tamil
Feminine form of Anit.

Anjali f Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Nepali
Means "salutation" 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.

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

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.

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.

Deepa f Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi दीपा, Gurmukhi ਦੀਪਾ, Bengali দীপা, Malayalam ദീപ or Tamil தீபா (see Dipa).

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).

Dipa f Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil
Means "light, lamp" in Sanskrit.

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

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

Durai m Tamil
Means "chief, leader" in Tamil.

Ezhil m & f Tamil
Means "beauty" in Tamil.

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

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

Indumathi f Tamil
From Sanskrit इन्दुमत् (indumat) meaning "full moon".

Jothi f & m Tamil
Tamil form of Jyoti.

Kala 1 f Tamil
Means "art form, virtue" in Sanskrit.

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

Kanchana f Tamil, Thai
Means "golden" in Sanskrit.

Karthik m Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam
Southern Indian form of Kartik.

Karthika f Tamil, Malayalam
Southern Indian feminine form of Kartik.

Kasi f Telugu, Tamil
Southern Indian form of Kashi.

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".

Kishor m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali
Derived from Sanskrit किशोर (kishora) meaning "colt".

Kishore m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi किशोर, Tamil கிஷோர் or Telugu కిశోర్ (see Kishor).

Lavanya f Hindi, Telugu, Tamil
Means "beauty, grace" in Sanskrit.

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).

Manish m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, Nepali
From Sanskrit मनीषा (manisha) meaning "thought, wisdom".

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.

Neela f Tamil, Hindi
Alternate transcription of Tamil நீலா or Hindi नीला (see Nila).

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

Nikitha f Telugu, Tamil
Southern Indian variant of Nikita 2.

Nila f Tamil, Hindi
Means "dark blue" 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.

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.

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.

Prashanth m Tamil
Tamil form of Prashant.

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.

Pravina f Marathi, Tamil
Feminine form of Pravin.

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).

Rajeev m Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi/Nepali राजीव, Malayalam രാജീവ് or Tamil ராஜிவ் (see Rajiv).

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".

Rajiv m Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Means "striped" in Sanskrit. This is used to refer to the blue lotus in Hindu texts.

Raju m Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Nepali
Variant of Raja 2.

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".

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

Rathna f & m Tamil
Southern Indian variant of Ratna.

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.

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

Sekar m Tamil
Tamil form of Shekhar.

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

Sharmila f Tamil, Marathi
Means "protection, comfort, joy" in Sanskrit.

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

Shyamala f Tamil, Telugu, Marathi
Feminine form of Shyamal.

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".

Sujatha f Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Sinhalese
South Indian and Sinhala form of Sujata.

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".

Swathi f Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam
Southern Indian form of Swati.

Thamarai f Tamil
Means "lotus" in Tamil.

Varsha f Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil
Means "rain" 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.

Vimal m Hindi, Marathi, Tamil
Means "clean, pure, spotless" in Sanskrit.

Vimala f Tamil
Feminine form of Vimal.

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.

Yamuna f Tamil, Telugu
From the name of an Indian river, which is possibly derived from the name of the goddess Yami.