Girl · Sanskrit · Hindu
Kokila
कोकिलाSay it KOH-ki-laa
- Meaning
- A female koel, the Indian cuckoo Monier-Williams, p. 312
- Say it
- KOH-ki-laa
- Written
- कोकिला
- Other spellings
- Kokilaa
- First sound
- को · Mithun rashi
Kokila
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Kokila meaning
Kokila (कोकिला) is a Hindu girl's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, को, it is a Mithun rashi name (Punarvasu nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
A female koel, the Indian cuckoo
Kokila (कोकिला) is the Sanskrit feminine of kokila, the koel or Indian cuckoo. Monier-Williams calls the word onomatopoeic, an echo of the bird's call, and notes that the koel is frequently alluded to in Hindu poetry, its musical cry being supposed to inspire tender emotions; the feminine kokilā appears in Kālidāsa and Bhartṛhari. A sweet singing voice is often praised by comparison with it. The poet and freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu, whom Gandhi called the 'Nightingale of India', is remembered in Hindi as Bharat Kokila, and name lists accordingly give 'cuckoo' or 'nightingale'. The name has a gentle, musical sound and an old-fashioned charm.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 312 · entry kokilā · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, kokila and kokilā, p. 312 · Google Arts & Culture, Sarojini Naidu · Indian National Congress, Sarojini Naidu tribute
Famous namesakes
- Sarojini Naidu, remembered as Bharat Kokila, the Nightingale of India
Fits your syllable
First sound को
Punarvasu nakshatra, pada 2 · Mithun rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Kokila · Kokilaa