Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Gopalkrishna
गोपालकृष्णSay it go-PAAL-krish-nuh
- Meaning today
- Krishna the cowherd, protector of cows
- Original meaning
- "Krishna the cowherd (from gopāla, cowherd, and Kṛṣṇa)" Monier-Williams, p. 365
- Say it
- go-PAAL-krish-nuh
- Written
- गोपालकृष्ण
- Other spellings
- Gopalakrishna, Gopalakrishnan, Gopal Krishna
- First sound
- गो · Kumbh rashi
Gopalkrishna
Stays on your phone. A family name is never required.
Gopalkrishna meaning
Gopalkrishna (गोपालकृष्ण) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, गो, it is a Kumbh rashi name (Shatabhisha nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
Krishna the cowherd (from gopāla, cowherd, and Kṛṣṇa)
Also used to mean: protector of cows
Gopalkrishna (गोपालकृष्ण) joins two names of Krishna. Monier-Williams gives gopāla as a cowherd, and also as "earth-protector", a king, and a name of Kṛṣṇa; kṛṣṇa means dark and is the name of the celebrated avatar of Viṣṇu. Together they picture the child Krishna as a cowherd in Gokul and Vrindavan, and name lists give it as "Krishna the cowherd" or "protector of cows". It is used across India, and Gopalakrishnan is the Tamil and Malayalam form. Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866–1915), the Congress leader and mentor of Mahatma Gandhi, carried the name.
In Hindu tradition this is a name of Krishna.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 365 · entry gopāla; kṛṣṇa · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, gopāla, p. 365 · Monier-Williams, kṛṣṇa, p. 306 · Wikipedia, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Famous namesakes
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale, freedom-movement leader and mentor of Gandhi
Fits your syllable
First sound गो
Shatabhisha nakshatra, pada 1 · Kumbh rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Gopalkrishna · Gopalakrishna · Gopalakrishnan · Gopal Krishna