Boy · Marathi (from Sanskrit jyotis) · Hindu
Jyotiba
ज्योतिबाSay it JYO-tee-baa
- Meaning today
- One who brings light
- Original meaning
- "from jyotis 'light, brightness', with the Marathi respectful ending -bā" Monier-Williams, p. 427
- Say it
- JYO-tee-baa
- Written
- ज्योतिबा
- Other spellings
- Jotiba, Jyotirao
Jyotiba
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Jyotiba meaning
Jyotiba (ज्योतिबा) is a Hindu boy's name of Marathi origin (from Sanskrit jyotis).
From jyotis 'light, brightness', with the Marathi respectful ending -bā
Also used to mean: one who brings light
Jyotiba (ज्योतिबा) joins Sanskrit jyotis, which Monier-Williams gives as light and brightness, the light of the sun, fire and sky and the light of heaven, to the Marathi ending -bā, a familiar word for "father" that Marathi adds to gods' names, as in Vithoba and Khandoba. Jyotiba is the god of the hill temple at Wadi Ratnagiri near Kolhapur, whom devotees identify with Shiva as Kedareshwar; his spring fair turns the hill pink with gulal. The name is best known through Mahatma Jyotiba (Jyotirao) Phule, who opened a school for girls in Pune in 1848.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 427 · entry jyotis · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, jyotis, p. 427 · Molesworth, bā, p. 570 · Wikipedia, Jyotiba Temple · Wikipedia, Jyotirao Phule
Famous namesakes
- Jyotirao (Jyotiba) Phule (1827–1890), social reformer
Spellings
Jyotiba · Jotiba · Jyotirao