How we check meanings
Every name page shows where its meaning comes from and links to the entry where we can, so you can check it yourself.
Our sources
- Sanskrit and Hindi names: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), cited by printed page, using the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon.
- Arabic and Urdu names: Lane's Arabic–English Lexicon (1863–93), and the Quran by surah and verse.
- Sikh names: the Guru Granth Sahib by Ang (page), and Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha's Mahan Kosh.
- Tamil names: the University of Madras Tamil Lexicon (1924–36).
- Biblical names: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), by Hebrew or Greek entry number.
- Persian, Urdu and Hindi words: Steingass, Persian–English Dictionary (1892), and Platts, Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English (1884), by page.
- Regional names: dictionaries on the University of Chicago's Digital Dictionaries of South Asia, by page: Samsad (Bengali), Molesworth (Marathi), Brown (Telugu), Kittel (Kannada), Gundert (Malayalam), Praharaj (Odia), Candrakanta (Assamese), Apte (Sanskrit) and the Pali Text Society dictionary. A few Gujarati words are checked in the online Rekhta Gujarati dictionary, which has no page numbers; those pages say so.
- International names: Latin and Greek lexicons (Lewis & Short, Liddell–Scott), Old English and Irish dictionaries, and etymological references.
We never copy meanings from other baby-name sites. We do read them, to record the meaning families commonly give a name, and when that meaning differs from the dictionary we say so.
Meaning today and the original meaning
Many names have a meaning families use today that differs from the word's original sense. Aarav is a good example: families give it as "peaceful", while the Sanskrit word ārava means "sound". We show both, the meaning today first and the original meaning with its dictionary page, so you can choose with the full picture.
Modern names and uncertain origins
Some names, such as Saanvi or Reyansh, are modern and don't appear in the classical dictionaries. We say so, show how families use them today, and cite the root word only where a dictionary has it. When the origin of a name is uncertain, the page says that too rather than picking one story.
Popularity
India publishes no official baby-name statistics, so we don't publish popularity rankings for India.
Astrology
Our rashi and nakshatra pages use the North Indian (Avakahada) table, checked against published panchangs. These are traditions, not predictions. Confirm syllables with your own priest.
Corrections
If you spot a mistake, write to [email protected] with the name and what looks wrong; a link or a dictionary page helps. We check the cited entry, and if the page is wrong we correct it and update the checked date shown beside its source.