Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Kartikeya
कार्तिकेयSay it kaar-ti-KAY-yuh
- Meaning
- Son of Śiva and Pārvatī, regarded as the god of war Monier-Williams, p. 275
- Say it
- kaar-ti-KAY-yuh
- Written
- कार्तिकेय
- Other spellings
- Karthikeya, Kartikey, Kartikay
- First sound
- का · Mithun rashi
Kartikeya
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Kartikeya meaning
Kartikeya (कार्तिकेय) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, का, it is a Mithun rashi name (Mrigashira nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
Son of Śiva and Pārvatī, regarded as the god of war
Kartikeya (कार्तिकेय) is Sanskrit kārttikeya, the son of Śiva and Pārvatī who leads the armies of the gods against the demons. Monier-Williams gives two explanations of the name: either from the six Kṛttikās, the Pleiades, who fostered him, each offering him a breast so that he grew six heads, or from the month Kārttika, thought the best season for war. Another legend makes him a son of Agni and Gaṅgā, who carried Śiva's energy. Britannica calls him Shiva's firstborn son; his other names include Kumāra, 'the youth', Skanda and Subrahmaṇya, and in South India he is widely known as Murugan. Kartik is a shorter, separate name from the same family.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 275 · entry kārttikeya · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, kārttikeya, p. 275 · Britannica, Skanda
Famous namesakes
- Kartikeya (Skanda, Murugan), son of Shiva and Parvati
Fits your syllable
First sound का
Mrigashira nakshatra, pada 3 · Mithun rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Kartikeya · Karthikeya · Kartikey · Kartikay