Boy · Tamil
Ilango
இளங்கோSay it i-LAN-go
- Meaning
- Prince; a king's younger brother or son Tamil Lexicon, p. 355
- Say it
- i-LAN-go
- Written
- இளங்கோ
- Other spellings
- Elango, Ilangko
Ilango
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Ilango meaning
Ilango (இளங்கோ) is a Tamil boy's name.
Prince; a king's younger brother or son
Ilango (இளங்கோ) joins Tamil iḷam, 'young', with kō, 'king', to mean a prince, and more exactly a king's younger brother or son. Its most famous bearer is Iḷaṅkō Aṭikaḷ, Ilango Adigal, the traditional author of the Cilappatikāram, the earliest Tamil epic, which tells the story of Kovalan and his wife Kannaki. The Tamil Lexicon describes him as the ascetic brother of the Chera king Ceṅkuṭṭuvaṉ. Historians treat that story with some caution, since the attribution comes from a later prologue, and the name may have been as much a title as a personal name. Elango is an alternative spelling of the same name.
Source: Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (1924–36), p. 355 · entry iḷaṅkō (இளங்கோ) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tamil Lexicon, iḷaṅkō, p. 355 · Britannica, Ilanko Atikal
Famous namesakes
- Ilango Adigal, traditional author of the Tamil epic Cilappatikaram
Spellings
Ilango · Elango · Ilangko