Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Anil
अनिलSay it uh-NIL
- Meaning
- Wind, air; the god of wind Monier-Williams, p. 30
- Say it
- uh-NIL
- Written
- अनिल
- Other spellings
- Aneel
- First sound
- अ · Mesh rashi
Anil
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Anil meaning
Anil (अनिल) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, अ, it is a Mesh rashi name (Krittika nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
Wind, air; the god of wind
Anil (अनिल) is the Sanskrit anila, "air" or "wind", which Monier-Williams derives from the root an, "to breathe". Beyond ordinary wind, the dictionary gives the god of wind, one of the forty-nine wind deities, and one of the eight Vasus, the elemental gods. In the medical texts anila is wind as one of the three humours of the body. The word could also stand for the number forty-nine, and MW records Anila as the name of a sage. Indian name lists give Anil as "wind" or "air", which matches the dictionary. A well-known bearer is the cricketer Anil Kumble, who in 1999 took all ten wickets in a Test innings against Pakistan.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 30 · entry anila · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, anila, p. 30 · Wisden, ten wickets in a Test innings
Famous namesakes
- Anil Kumble, Indian leg-spinner who took all ten wickets in a Test innings in 1999
Fits your syllable
First sound अ
Krittika nakshatra, pada 1 · Mesh rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Anil · Aneel