Help with Indian Baby Names???

[annasmom]

I am kind of piggybacking off of Alicia's babyname thread (sorry ;)).

Anyhow, I could use some help of my own with some baby names. I am not Indian myself (my dh is), so I don't have a wealth of knowledge re Indian names. I actually have quite a few Indian baby name books, but I have never had much luck with them -- I think because I don't hear the names, if that makes sense.

Over the years I've convinced myself that I cannot find an Indian name that I like enough, but then I will hear someone else's child's name and I will LOVE it, and say to my dh why didn't you ever tell me about THAT name! BTW, both of my dc have Indian middle names but they are both family names of which I was very familiar.

So, I was hoping that I could get some suggestions of some Indian names that you just love. So far the only one on our girl list is Maya. Thanks in advance!!

[mudder17]

How about Suri? ;) Yes, it has a Hebrew meaning, but it also means "sun" in Sanskrit.

Here's some websites with names and meanings:

[link:media.fastclick.net/w/get.media?t=n&sid=19184&m=1&tp=1&f=b&v=1.4&c=3171&r=http%3A//www.google.com/search%3Fclient%3Dopera%26rls%3Den%26q%3Dindian+ba by+names%26sourceid%3Dopera%26ie%3Dutf-8%26oe%3Dutf-8&d=f|website 1]

[link:www.indiaparenting.com/names/index.shtml|website 2]

[link:www.iloveindia.com/babynames/|website 3]

Here's one of more (according to them) unique names:

[link:www.nameandfame.org/|more unique names]

You could also check this out:

http://www.babynamesindia.com/ultimate.html

I got quite a few other hits when I entered "Indian baby names" so you could look at that if none of these pan out. :)

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[annasmom]

Thanks Eileen :), I actually think Suri is really quite pretty, but I just cannot do it. I was never a Tom Cruise fan, but boy do I dislike him after his PPD bashing last year! I am going to check out the other sites now!!

[nitaghei]

Do want easy to pronouce names, or does anything go?

Here are some, in particular order:

Neha, Niti, Ria, Ritu, Supriya, Anjali, Prerna, Priyamvada, Priya, Preeti, Aditi, Meera, Uma, Saba (more often a Muslim name, though).

Mostly mainstream suggestions. FWIW, I like Maneka's Gandhi's book for Indian names. Also, there is a lot of variation across states. Most of the names that I can think of are more common in the north.

Our girl name choices was Tara and Kiran. I'd picked Neel for a boy's name years before I was actually pregnant.

ETA:
Aparna, Urvashi, Priyanka, Ratna.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker (at the Rainbow Bridge)

"Moderation is best in all things." Hesiod

[Puddy73]

I have an Indian friend named Priya (rhymes with Mia) and I love the name!

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/08/03 & Finn 10/31/05

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." - Jimmy Buffett

[annasmom]

Thanks Nita, I think we have talked about baby names before because your names (Tara, Neel) are on our list, and Kieran is my ds's name! I think some of the names on your list are getting really popular. I think many Indian-Americans are trying to find names that are easy for other Americans to pronounce. We have "little friends" named Neel, Anjali, Priya, Meera, Riya, Kiran etc.

I would like something that is easy to pronounce because I myself do not have a very good ear for the small differences in pronounciations, and we also have a pretty long last name.

And forget about my family, my dd's middle name is Lata, after her grandmother Swarnalata. No one in my family pronounces it correctly, no matter how many times I tell them. I don't really mind for a middle name, but for a first name, that would drive me crazy! I will have to check and see if I can find that book, if I don't have it already! Thanks again!

[tarahsolazy]

I like that girl choice Nita. ;)

[nitaghei]

Honestly, they won't be able to. Even if they get all the "a" sounds right, the soft t sound just doesn't exist in English. The t in my name is a soft t, too, and even DH doesn't quite get it - though he's been trying for many, many years. I don't even bother correcting my ILs.

A mispronounced first name would drive me crazy, too, as would any dimunitives, so we focused on short names that couldn't be mucked up. Though, I would have used Neel as a boy name even if we were living in India, and I was married to someone Indian.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker (at the Rainbow Bridge)

"Moderation is best in all things." Hesiod

[nitaghei]

:-) :-) It's still one of my favorite girl names. Every Tara I've met has been a wonderful person.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker (at the Rainbow Bridge)

"Moderation is best in all things." Hesiod

[annasmom]

LOL, I can relate to your dh!! I cannot tell you how many times my dh has tried to teach me the "t" -- "dth" sound! That is why I said I need something easy, because I told my dh years ago, if "I" mispronounce my baby's name -- THAT is the way it is being said!

[mudder17]

Yeah, ditto on the Suri. I would almost use it except I never liked him, but now I actually dislike him!


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[mudder17]

I had a student named Priya as well. I LOVE the name. Actually, they changed her name to Samiha when she came to the states, but I always preferred Priya, so that's what I called her.


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[anamika]

OOohhhh, I love talking about Indian names. Like Neeta I had picked my DD's name in school (well, her middle name now - it was too hard for Americans to pronounce) but her first name sounds like my mom's name so it all worked out.
Were you looking for boys names or girls names?
Some not so commom but easy to say girls names - Nirvana (salvation), Moksha (also salvation), Richa (Vedic hymn), Laya (rhythm), Priyasi (beloved).....I could go on. Of course, it depends on your personal choice.
Boys names are harder for me..... Some names I had picked out for in case DD surprised us by being a DS - Tejas (best explanation I can give is kind of an aura like a sage would have), Raahat (blessed relief), Gautam (the Buddha's name), Varun, Aakash (the sky), Akshar (invincible).... But I hadn't really picked one so it's good thing there were no surprises!
Most South Indians look through the book of 1008 names of Lakshmi or Shiva (or your favorite God) to find one they like :) They're kinda our big book of names ;)
Hope you find one you like.

[asha]

Here are some more names and the meaning

1. Krithi - work of art, creation
2. Diya - light, usually associated with the lamp Indians light for the Gods
3. Vibha - to shine brightly, catch the eye of a spectator
4. Lekha - artistic writing, manuscript
5. Prakhya - clearly visible, popular
6. Aditi - boundless (In Hindu mythology, Aditi is the mother of all Gods)
7. Jiya - Life
8. Aruna - rising Sun
9. Dhrithi - patience
10. Ekta - Unity
11. Ila - vitality
12. Indu - moon
13. Kirti - fame
14. Kusum - flower
15. Mihika - dew drop
16. Namita - humble
17. Neelima - blue sky

My daughter will be Aditi if I ever have one. My DS's name (Akshay) also means the same as Aditi

[anamika]

Hahaha...Jiya is my DD's name. I love it and I thought it was pretty simple to say but you will not believe how many people call her Jaya or Hiya (assuming we're Spanish speaking and using H for J)
I like all the names on your list.....We have good taste ;);)

[asha]

Hey Usha, Yes I know Jiya is your daughter's name. I loved it the first time I heard it, I still love that name.

Tell me about the J and H confusion. DH is Vijay and most of the times, people think it is Vihay.

I knew I was having a boy, but I still had more girl names prepared than boy names. Does that say anything about how badly I wanted to have a girl? :-)

[nitaghei]

BTW, Suri is a fairly common last name in north India. It would not be considered a girl name at all where I come from. FWIW.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker (at the Rainbow Bridge)

"Moderation is best in all things." Hesiod

[aliceinwonderland]

"[...] but then I will hear someone else's child's name and I will LOVE it, and say to my dh why didn't you ever tell me about THAT name!"

No idea on Indian baby names, but this happened to me! I tried hard for a boy's name that honored my ethnicity, and had no luck, so named DS after myself (sort of). 2 months before my son was born, a friend of mine named her kid "Adrian". That would have been so perfect for us, I LOVE that name(but it never occured to me, go figure!). Oh well, if I have another boy...

[american_mama]

Names of Indian people I know:
Devika
Asha
Sahana
Samita (I hope I am remembering that right)
Hetal
Ira (pronounced as though it rhymes with "tier-a"

Also, I don't know what might have gone into these names, but I know Indian girls named Monica, Sheridan and Anita. Finally, my daughter's name is Amara and a few Indian women have said it would be the feminine version of the Indian boy's name Amar.

[JBaxter]

I like the doctor on ER Her name is Neela. I think thats pretty.

[jbowman]

I have a close friend named Nisha, and her sister's name is Sapna. Love those names! Growing up, I had Indian friends named Sumathi (beautiful name IMO) and Anjula.

ETA: I believe that Nisha means "midnight" and Sapna means "dream."

[aliceinwonderland]

Amar, right? I love that boy's name, but I *think* it's generally Muslim, no?

[anamika]

I had a colleague named Amara (love the name). She was part Japanese, part Native American and a few other things. She said Amara meant eternal love (isn't that beautiful?) in Greek or Latin. Amar means immortal in Hindi.

[nitaghei]

No. Amar is a very common Hindu boy name. OTOH, the two Amaras I've come across were Muslim girls. I've never heard of a Hindu girl named Amara - though they might be out there.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker (at the Rainbow Bridge)

"Moderation is best in all things." Hesiod

[tarabenet]

I had a friend in college named Shonali. I always thought it was such a beautiful name. I was told it meant "golden".

[writermama]

I have friends named Asha and Sima and always thought they were beautiful names.

[aliceinwonderland]

Good to know, thanks. :)

[dhano923]

When I was pregnant with #1, we were concerned that it might be twins because I have a LOT of twins on my side of the family. So we decided to make lists for boys and girls names and that way we'd have plenty of names to choose from (we didn't want to call the baby "baby" once we knew the gender, we wanted to call it by name). We had already picked out 1 boy's name (Kabir) and 1 girl's name (Kiran) but figured we should have backups.

Some of the boy's names we liked were: Raj, Ajay, Jai (pronounced "jay"), Arin, Sudhir, and Kabir. We ended up choosing Kabir (Kabir was a famous saint).

We also came up with a girl's list just in case. We had Kiran, Tara (my grandfather's name), Jiya/Jia, Diya, Reena, Sabina, and Maya. We liked how Kiran (means "ray of sunlight") went well with Kabir so went with our original choice.

Everytime I see Baby Cruise's name, I giggle -- "suri" in Hindi means "pig". ;)

[ribbit1019]

A few to consider:
Nandini (I love this name!)
Malobika
Indrani
:)


Christy
My Waterbabies
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[psophia17]

Three that I haven't seen on the list:

My cousin in India is Sudha (Sood-hah)
DH's ex-gf #1 is Tia (not sure of the spelling)
DH's ex-gf #2 is Sunita (again, not sure of the spelling)

[jillc]

Hi,

I have an Indian friend named Shefali. I've always thought it's a beautiful name.

Good luck!
Jill

[littleme2]

Hi, my DD's name is Sahana which is really easy to pronounce. I also love the name Annika and Meghana, both of which are easy to pronounce and not mess up.

Good luck comming up with a name.

Meetu

[maestramommy]

I had a beautiful student named Priyanka once. She played violin like an angel and was one of the nicest (and brainiest) I ever taught.

[mcdonald29]

I had a number of Indian friends in high school, with names that I'm surprised haven't seen suggested yet:

Kavita
Sarita
Geeta
Kamal
Manish (male)
Gopal (male)
Shamim (male)

Geeta is due in November with baby #1 and she and her husband already have the name picked out -Kiran, mentioned in previous posts- they like it b/c in her words it's unisex as well as Indian and Irish for both their families.

[jawilli4]

I have a friend named Hina and absolutely love her name. Just another suggestion... :)

[lizajane]

my i hope sister in law to be (brother in law's girlfriend) is named shalini. shah-li-knee. i love it!

[JFC]

A few friends' names I love that I haven't seen on the list yet are:
Shanti
Vashali
Samara
I don't know meanings, but all three of these women are smart and beautiful people. ;-)

[Queensgirl]

Boys Name: Amit (endless,boundless)

Girls Name: Kavita (poem)
Preetha (or Pritha)

Good resource: http://www.indiaparenting.com/names/index.shtml
http://www.indiaexpress.com/specials/babynames/


-Karina

[bubbaray]

Well, as mommy to Maya, it gets my vote!

:)

Good luck!

Melissa

Maya Papaya!
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040411/3/4/1/-8/.png[/img][/url]

[american_mama]

My husband got the name Amara from an archeology book which discussed a tribe of native South Americans called the Aymara. Since then, we have seen it listed in baby books as a Greek name, but some Greek students of my DH's have flatly denied that. We've learned that it's a common (?) name in Sri Lanka (meaning eternally beautiful) and Nigeria meaning God's grace (given the meaning and the various Nigerians who have told me this, I think it's from the Christian part of Nigeria, not Muslim). We also met someone from Kurdistan who seemed to say it was a name there. And I've met a WASPy looking American woman from the south named Amara. I love knowing that my daughter is a citizen of the world in all respects!

[Aarohismom]

My favourite names,

Aarohi - Ascending,positive
Sanika - Flute
Riya - Flower
Anika/Annika - Goddess Durga
Tanmayee
Bela - Flower

Enjoy!

[american_mama]

I remembered the one that I forgot. Sadhna was the name of someone I once worked with. In my list before, I thought her name was Samita which, although a lovely name, may not be Indian at all.

[nitaghei]

Samita and Smita are both Indian names. The problem with almost any name with a t is that Americans will mispronounce it. Like I said before - the soft t sound simply doesn't exist in English. Also almost any name with a "dh" sound. Or any name with a "gh" - I've lived in this country for more than fifteen years, and I still wince at having both my first and last names mispronounced.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker (at the Rainbow Bridge)

"Moderation is best in all things." Hesiod

[nitaghei]

>Everytime I see Baby Cruise's name, I giggle -- "suri" in
>Hindi means "pig". ;)

The Hindi word for pig is 'sooar.' Suri is a Punjabi last name.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker (at the Rainbow Bridge)

"Moderation is best in all things." Hesiod

[niccig]

My friend's is Kiran, her 2 DDs are Saaya and Uma

[Dcclerk]

I was going to suggest Shalini, too. One of my favorites, along with Pria.

I also love Sidhartha (sp?) for a boy.

[dhano923]

Ah ok. We speak punjabi at home, not Hindi, so I was under the impression that suri/soori (pig in Punjabi) was the same in hindi as well.

[annasmom]

I have a feeling Kiran is going to be a very popular name. Kieran is my ds's name (the Irish spelling), but I know several other Indian-Irish families that have chosen the name as well (male & female)!

[annasmom]

I wanted to thank everyone for all of your beautiful suggestions! I certainly have my work cut out for me! It is so interesting that I can tell from your posts that some names are becoming VERY popular, e.g., my ds's name Kieran! I also see many names that are the same or very similar to the names of people in our family.

We are looking for boy and girl's names, although we do have two names for boys that we both really love (both Irish). But I would really like to give them an Indian middle name. We both really love Maya, but it has been on our list since we were thinking of names for my dd, and I don't like the idea of having only one girl name on my list so early on.

Some background, "we" are South Indian, and we cannot name our child a name that begins with "S" (a family superstition - long story).

Thanks again!

[zuzu]

I have a friend, Priya, and I really like her name. Though it has been mistaken for those energy bars at times.

Melissa, mom to Sarah (5/03)

[Zana]

This is a little late, but if you are interested in some more South Indian names:

Aarti
Anjana
Chitra
Divya
Deepti
Geeta
Mala
Padmini
Veena

[pixelprincess]

Some of the names I like-

Girl names-
Maya :) (my brother's gf's name)
Mira
Lila (my mom's name)
Uma
Anu (short for Anuradha)
Priti

Boy names (these were some of our contenders)
Arnav (DS's middle name which means ocean)
Arkin
Rohan (Rowan)
Rayan (Ryan)
Karan
Tanav
Neel
Kiran (Kieran)
Nishil
Varun
Sagar ( I know you can't do S, but I love it...my nephews name)


My brother sent me a copy of the Maneka Gandhi book and I found most of the names difficult to pronounce. We were trying to find a name that would either sound like an Indian name or was an easy to pronounce Indian name. Some of the ones we liked fromt he list above were taken or there were a few kids with those names so we ended up with Rowan :) Poor DS got his name on day 4 just before I got released from the hospital.

Good luck deciding!

[annasmom]

We just found out it is a boy, so thanks so much for the additional boy names! BTW, my nephew's name is Rohan!