Hindu baby names ( Hindy Baby Boy and Baby Girl Names)

 नामाखिलस्य व्यवहारहेतुः शुभावहम् कर्मसु भाग्यहेतुः|

नाम्नेव कीर्तिः लभते मनुष्यः ततः प्रशस्तं खलु नामकर्म ||

             - Veera mitrodaya’s Samskara Prakaasika

Hindu baby names are an identification associated with an individual for a lifetime and beyond. It bestows optimism, promise, and austerity.  A name reminds us of actions attached to it. While the name Rama reminds us of a righteous warrior, Ravana reminds us of evil vices and crime. We are known by our name. Fame and glory attach themselves to a name. And hence, the practice of naming (ceremony to provide boy and girl names) is significant. This is the fifth ceremony of the 16 significant ceremonies (shodasha samskaaras) prescribed to be performed in one's life. (The first being jatakarma, the celebration of baby's birth and establishing first physical bonding with father).

More often than not, Hindu baby names are a lot more than just a word, especially so in ancient times. Almost every individual’s name depicted a story.  In Sanatana Dharma, names have emerged in many ways. Many hindu baby names were derived from magnanimous, valorous, scholarly deeds done by sages, seers, kings, musicians, sculptors, musicians, and poets of the glorious Indian past. Hindu baby names sometimes also followed profession and merit. 

It sometimes denoted an event of their life that led to transformation - Eg: Maharshi Valmiki, the author of Ramayana, performed steadfast penance enduring the formation of ant-hills (valmeeka) forming all around him and hence the name! Kalidasa, the famous poet, got the name after he was blessed with immense literary prowess by Devi Kali. 

Sometimes names denote the quality of a person. Eg: Rama, the name Rama means someone in whom all the worlds find peace. (रमन्ते योगिनः अस्मिन्निति रामः). 

Hindu baby names also depict an event that happened at their birth. Eg: Seeta, the princess of Mithila was so named because she was discovered in the process of ploughing. The word Seeta also means the furrow, the track or line drawn by a ploughshare. Seeta is one of many names rendered to the princess of Mithila. 

In the current day and time, many factors decide the boy and girl names :

• Geography: India, being a vast country with hundreds of cultural tributaries, the place (town or village) to which people belong, plays a major role in naming children. For instance, the names of Hindus living in the west may not be the same as people hailing from Northeast or South India. 
• Practices: Within geographies too, there are specific practices leading to different hindu baby names in each region. While many people of Tamil Nadu, name their children after their ancestors, people from Andhra and Telangana have a lengthy name connecting them back to their ancestors, ancestral village, and to their ancestral diety (kula daivam).
• Belief Systems: Many people give boy and girl names as per the deity presiding their profession or race or the area in which they live. 
• Qualities: Naming the qualities they want their kids to stand up to. 
• Trends: Hindu baby names in the current day have to be trendy! While this might simplify usage and call outs, it is often observed that the meaning of the name turns out to be incomplete or weird.

This website on hindu baby names is run with the benign blessings of HH Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswati Sankaracharya Swamigal of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. 

Sanatana Dharma offers adequate variety and a wonderful way of life that is enabling all living forms. Every individual feels respected, included, and holds a significant place in the society. To name a person on the basis of this dharma, is a way to express gratitude and to align ourselves to the spiritual, pure and mesmerizing memories that our ancient civilizations have bestowed upon us. 

Namakaranam.com intends to carry out this vision.