Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Ghanshyam
घनश्यामSay it GHUN-shyaam
- Meaning
- Dark like a cloud; a name of Kṛṣṇa and of Rāma Monier-Williams, p. 376
- Say it
- GHUN-shyaam
- Written
- घनश्याम
- Other spellings
- Ghanashyam, Ghanasyam, Ghanshyaam
- First sound
- घ · Mithun rashi
Ghanshyam
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Ghanshyam meaning
Ghanshyam (घनश्याम) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, घ, it is a Mithun rashi name (Ardra nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
Dark like a cloud; a name of Kṛṣṇa and of Rāma
Ghanshyam (घनश्याम) is Sanskrit ghana-śyāma, from ghana, "cloud", and śyāma, "dark", so "dark as a rain cloud". Monier-Williams gives it as a name of Kṛṣṇa, citing the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, and also of Rāma, both of whom are traditionally described as dark-skinned. Baby-name lists agree on "dark as a cloud" or simply "Lord Krishna", matching the dictionary. In the Swaminarayan tradition the name has a special place, because Ghanshyam was the childhood name of Swaminarayan, born in Chhapaiya in 1781, before he became known as Nilkanth Varni and later as Bhagwan Swaminarayan in Gujarat. Short forms are Ghan and Shyam, and the name is also spelt Ghanashyam.
In Hindu tradition this is a name of Krishna.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 376 · entry ghana-śyāma · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, ghana-śyāma, p. 376 · BAPS, Bhagwan Swaminarayan (the founder)
Famous namesakes
- Swaminarayan, whose childhood name was Ghanshyam
Fits your syllable
First sound घ
Ardra nakshatra, pada 2 · Mithun rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Ghanshyam · Ghanashyam · Ghanasyam · Ghanshyaam