Browse Names - Behind the Name

Madan मदन m Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, Odia, Assamese, Nepali
Modern form of Madana.

Madhav माधव m Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Nepali
Modern form of Madhava.

Madhavi माधवी f Hinduism, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi
Feminine form of Madhava. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

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

Madhukar मधुकर m Hindi, Marathi
From Sanskrit मधुकर (madhukara) meaning "bee, honey-maker".

Madhur मधुर m & f Hindi
Means "sweet" in Sanskrit.

Madhuri माधुरी f Marathi, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada
From Sanskrit माधुर (mādhura) meaning "sweetness", a derivative of मधु (madhu) meaning "honey, sweet".

Mahadevi महादेवी f Hinduism, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi
Means "great goddess", derived from Sanskrit महा (mahā) meaning "great" and देवी (devī) meaning "goddess". This is the Hindu mother goddess who manifests herself as all other goddesses.

Mahavir महावीर m Hindi
Modern form of Mahavira.

Mahendra महेन्द्र, महेंद्र m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Sanskrit
From Sanskrit महा (mahā) meaning "great" combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra. This was the name of a son of the 3rd-century BC Indian emperor Ashoka, also called Mahinda. He is credited with introducing Buddhism to Sri Lanka.

Mahesh महेश m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Nepali
Modern form of Mahesha.

Mala माला f Hindi
Means "necklace" in Sanskrit.

Malati मालती f Hindi
Means "jasmine" in Sanskrit.

Malini मालिनी f Hindi
Means "fragrant" in Sanskrit.

Manas मानस m Bengali, Assamese, Hindi
Means "mind, intellect, spirit" in Sanskrit.

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

Manisha मनीषा f Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
Feminine form of Manish.

Manju मंजु, मञ्जु f Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu
From Sanskrit मञ्जु (mañju) meaning "lovely, beautiful".

Manjula मंजुला, मञ्जुला f Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam
From Sanskrit मञ्जुल (mañjula) meaning "pleasing, beautiful".

Manjusha मंजूषा, मञ्जूषा f Marathi, Hindi
From Sanskrit मञ्जूषा (mañjūṣā) meaning "small box, small chest".

Manoj मनोज m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada
Modern form of Manoja.

Manu 1 मनु m Hinduism, Hindi, Kannada
Means "thinking, wise" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is a title of Swayambhuva, the progenitor of the human race, as well as several of his descendants.

Maya 1 माया f Hinduism, Buddhism, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali
Means "illusion, magic" in Sanskrit. In Buddhist tradition this is the name of the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). This is also another name of the Hindu goddess Durga.

Mayur मयूर m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
From Sanskrit मयूर (mayūra) meaning "peacock".

Meena मीना f Hindi, Marathi, Tamil
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi मीना or Tamil மீனா (see Mina 2).

Meenakshi मीनाक्षी f Hinduism, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
Alternate transcription of Sanskrit मीनाक्षी (see Minakshi).

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

Mina 2 मीना f Hindi, Marathi, Tamil
From Sanskrit मीन (mīna) meaning "fish", which in Hindu astrology is the name of a sign of the zodiac.

Minakshi मीनाक्षी f Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali
From Sanskrit मीन (mīna) meaning "fish" and अक्षि (akṣi) meaning "eye". This is the name of a Hindu goddess associated with the Tamil city of Madurai. She is considered an incarnation of Parvati.

Minali मीनाली f Hindi
Means "fish catcher" in Sanskrit.

Mira 1 मीरा f Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada
From Sanskrit मीर (mīra) meaning "sea, ocean". This was the name of a 16th-century Indian princess who devoted her life to the god Krishna.

Mitra 1 मित्र, मित्रा m & f Hinduism, Hindi
Means "friend" in Sanskrit, a cognate of Mithra. This is the name of a Vedic god (मित्र) who is associated with friendship and contracts and is frequently paired with the god Varuna. The feminine form मित्रा (spelled with a final long vowel) is also transcribed as Mitra.

Mitul मितुल m Gujarati, Hindi
Derived from Sanskrit मित (mita) meaning "measured".

Mohan मोहन m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam
Modern masculine form of Mohana.

Mohandas मोहनदास m Hindi
Means "servant of Mohana" from the name of the Hindu god Mohana (an epithet of Krishna) combined with Sanskrit दास (dāsa) meaning "servant". A famous bearer of this name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian leader who struggled peacefully for independence from Britain.

Mohini मोहिनी f Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi
Means "perplexing, enchanting" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a beautiful female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, a form he took in order to trick the asuras (demons) into relinquishing the amrita (elixir of immortality).

Mohit मोहित m Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali
From Sanskrit मोहित (mohita) meaning "infatuated, fascinated, bewildered".

Mridula मृदुला f Hindi
From Sanskrit मृदु (mṛdu) meaning "soft, delicate, gentle".

Mukesh मुकेश m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali
Modern form of Mukesha.

Mukta मुक्ता f Hindi, Marathi
Means "liberated, set free" in Sanskrit.

Mukul मुकुल m Hindi
Means "bud, blossom" in Sanskrit.

Murali मुरली m Hinduism, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi
Means "flute" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god Krishna, given to him because he played the flute.

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