Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Harikesh
हरिकेशSay it hu-ree-KAYSH
- Meaning today
- Lord Vishnu, yellow-haired, Lord Shiva
- Original meaning
- "fair-haired; a ray of the sun; epithet of Savitṛ and Śiva" Monier-Williams, p. 1290
- Say it
- hu-ree-KAYSH
- Written
- हरिकेश
- Other spellings
- Harikesha
Harikesh
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Harikesh meaning
Harikesh (हरिकेश) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin.
Meaning today
Lord Vishnu, yellow-haired, Lord Shiva
Original Sanskrit meaning
"fair-haired; a ray of the sun; epithet of Savitṛ and Śiva"
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 1290 · entry hari-keśa · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Harikesh (हरिकेश) is Sanskrit hari-keśa, "golden- or tawny-haired", where hari is the colour word rather than the name of Vishnu. Monier-Williams records it in the Ṛgveda as an epithet of the sun god Savitṛ, and in the Mahābhārata as a name of Shiva; it also names one of the seven principal rays of the sun and a Yakṣa who became a leader of Shiva's attendants. Many name lists give "Lord Vishnu" or "Lord Krishna", taking hari in its other sense. Both readings use a real meaning of hari, but the dictionary records the Shiva and sun senses.
In Hindu tradition this is a name of Shiva.
References: Monier-Williams, hari-keśa, p. 1290 · Monier-Williams, hari, p. 1289
Fits your syllable
First sound ह
Punarvasu nakshatra, pada 3 · Mithun rashi
This exact sound isn't in the table; the closest is हा, which differs only in vowel length. North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Harikesh · Harikesha