Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Gaurav
गौरवSay it GAU-ruv
- Meaning today
- Pride, honour
- Original meaning
- "importance, dignity, respect; weight" Monier-Williams, p. 370
- Say it
- GAU-ruv
- Written
- गौरव
- Other spellings
- Gourav
Gaurav
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Gaurav meaning
Gaurav (गौरव) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin.
Meaning today
Pride, honour
Original Sanskrit meaning
"importance, dignity, respect; weight"
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 370 · entry gaurava · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Gaurav (गौरव) is the Sanskrit gaurava, the noun formed from guru. Its first sense in Monier-Williams is physical: weight or heaviness. From there it moves to importance and high value, then to dignity, gravity and respectability, and to the respect shown to someone, as in acting "out of respect for one's mother". Platts's Hindi dictionary gives a similar range and adds grandeur and repute. Indian name lists usually give Gaurav as "pride" or "honour". Honour sits close to the dictionary's dignity and respect, but "pride" is not listed in either dictionary, so it is best read as a later, everyday sense of the word rather than its recorded one.
References: Monier-Williams, gaurava, p. 370 · Platts, gaurav, p. 924
Fits your syllable
First sound गौ
Shatabhisha nakshatra, pada 1 · Kumbh rashi
This exact sound isn't in the table; the closest is गो, which differs only in vowel length. North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Gaurav · Gourav