Girl · Tamil
Andal
ஆண்டாள்Say it AAN-daal
Andal meaning
Andal (ஆண்டாள்) is a Tamil girl's name.
Āṇṭāḷ, the Vaishnava woman saint; literally "she who ruled"
Also used to mean: she who rules, Tamil saint
Andal (ஆண்டாள்) is the only woman among the twelve Alvars, the Tamil poet-saints of Vishnu. The Tamil Lexicon describes her as the daughter of Periyalvar and the author of the Tiruppavai and the Nachiyar Tirumozhi, and gives her title Cūṭikkoṭutta Nācciyār, the lady who offered the garland she had first worn herself. The name comes from the verb āḷ-, "to rule", and is usually explained as "she who rules". Her Tiruppavai is sung across Tamil Nadu in the month of Margazhi, and the name is used mainly by Vaishnava families.
Source: Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (1924–36), p. 221 · entry āṇṭāḷ (ஆண்டாள்) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tamil Lexicon, āṇṭāḷ, p. 221 · Wikipedia, Andal
Famous namesakes
- Andal, eighth-century poet-saint, author of the Tiruppavai
Spellings
Andal · Aandal