Hindu naming traditions & popular names

If you’re looking for spiritual inspiration when it comes to naming a new baby then look to Hinduism. Picking a name that corresponds to the exact moment of birth is an important element of the Hindu naming custom…

The exact second that a birth takes place is important according to Hindu astrology since the letters that the name is based on changes according to the star constellation or ‘nakshatra’ that a child is born under. The ancient yogis, who studied astronomy, laid down the astrological principles that are still followed today.  They divided the 360 degree zodiac into 12 houses of 30 degrees each and then subdivided each house into 27 nakshatras or star constellations.  Each nakshatra was then further subdivided into four quarters called ‘pada’, changing approximately every 13 minutes. That is why twins born even quarter of an hour apart may have different birth nakshatras and therefore different name initials.

The first names most often gain inspiration from the two major Hindu epics, the ‘Mahabharata’ and the ‘Ramayana’, which tell stories of heroes, heroines and deities.  Sometimes a name may reflect an aspect from Nature or refer to physical appearance.  Most Hindu names are written in the same order as in the West, except in certain parts of South India where, in a name such as S. Raman, the initial refers to the name of the father and what appears to be the surname is, in fact, the personal name of the person.

Some of the popular names for boys and girls