Boy · Tamil
Aadhavan
ஆதவன்Say it AA-dhuh-vun
Aadhavan meaning
Aadhavan (ஆதவன்) is a Tamil boy's name.
The sun
Aadhavan (ஆதவன்) is a Tamil name for the sun. The Tamil Lexicon of the University of Madras lists ātavaṉ as a literary word for the sun, beside the related ātapaṉ, and traces both to Sanskrit ātapa, "sunshine". So although the name is thoroughly Tamil in sound and use, its root is shared with Sanskrit. The Lexicon's supplement adds two rare senses, a brahmin learned in the Vedas and the sunflower. Indian name lists today give Aadhavan simply as "the sun", in line with the dictionary. Its best-known bearer is the Tamil writer K. S. Sundaram, who wrote under the pen name Aadhavan and was given the Sahitya Akademi Award after his death in 1987 for his short-story collection Mudalil Iravu Varum.
Source: Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (1924–36), p. 227 · entry ātavaṉ (ஆதவன்) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tamil Lexicon, ātavaṉ (ஆதவன்), p. 227 · Wikipedia, Aadhavan Sundaram
Famous namesakes
- Aadhavan, pen name of the Tamil writer K. S. Sundaram (1942–1987)
Spellings
Aadhavan · Adhavan · Aathavan · Athavan