Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Kanishk
कनिष्कSay it kun-ISHK
- Meaning today
- Gold, treasure
- Original meaning
- "name of the Kushan emperor Kaniṣka, patron of Buddhism" Monier-Williams, p. 249
- Say it
- kun-ISHK
- Written
- कनिष्क
Kanishk
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Kanishk meaning
Kanishk (कनिष्क) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin.
Meaning today
Gold, treasure
Original Sanskrit meaning
"name of the Kushan emperor Kaniṣka, patron of Buddhism"
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 249 · entry kaniṣka · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Kanishk (कनिष्क) is the Hindi form of Kaniṣka, the great Kushan emperor whose empire reached from Central Asia across North India in the early centuries CE. Monier-Williams records him as a famous ruler and the greatest patron of Buddhism after Aśoka, and gives no meaning for the name. Name lists usually give Kanishk as "gold" or "treasure". We could not find those senses in any dictionary, so they appear to be modern meanings attached to the name rather than its origin. Kanishka is the fuller spelling.
References: Monier-Williams, kaniṣka, p. 249 · Wikipedia, Kanishka
Famous namesakes
- Kanishka, Kushan emperor and patron of Buddhism
Fits your syllable
First sound क
Mrigashira nakshatra, pada 3 · Mithun rashi
This exact sound isn't in the table; the closest is का, which differs only in vowel length. North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.