Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu · Sikh
Baldev
ਬਲਦੇਵSay it BUL-dayv
- Meaning
- Balarama, elder brother of Krishna; literally strength-god Monier-Williams, p. 722
- Say it
- BUL-dayv
- Written
- ਬਲਦੇਵ
- Other spellings
- Baldeo
Baldev
Stays on your phone. A family name is never required.
Baldev meaning
Baldev (ਬਲਦੇਵ) is a Hindu and Sikh boy's name of Sanskrit origin.
Balarama, elder brother of Krishna; literally strength-god
Baldev (ਬਲਦੇਵ, बलदेव) is Sanskrit baladeva, from bala, "strength", and deva, "god", so literally "god of strength". Monier-Williams and the Mahan Kosh both give it as a name of Balarāma, also called Balabhadra, the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa. Britannica notes that he is known for his enormous strength and that from the second or first century BCE he was shown holding a plough-share and a pestle. At Puri he is worshipped with Kṛṣṇa as Jagannātha and their sister Subhadrā. The name is used in Hindu and Sikh families; the compound itself does not occur in the Guru Granth Sahib, though its two parts do. A well-known bearer was Baldev Singh, independent India's first defence minister.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 722 · entry baladeva · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, baladeva, p. 722 · Mahan Kosh, ਬਲਦੇਵ (SriGranth.org) · Britannica, Balarama · Wikipedia, Baldev Singh
Famous namesakes
- Balarama (Baladeva), elder brother of Krishna
- Baldev Singh, independent India's first defence minister
How the name is built
- Bal ਬਲ: strength, power
Mahan Kosh · Guru Granth Sahib Ang 93 - Dev ਦੇਵ: god, deity
Mahan Kosh · Guru Granth Sahib Ang 6
Spellings
Baldev · Baldeo