Boy · Sanskrit (Jain and Hindu usage) · Jain · Hindu
Mahavir
महावीरSay it muh-haa-VEER
- Meaning
- Great hero; the last Jain Tirthankara; also a name of Hanuman Monier-Williams, p. 800
- Say it
- muh-haa-VEER
- Written
- महावीर
- Other spellings
- Mahaveer, Mahavira, Mahavier
Mahavir
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Mahavir meaning
Mahavir (महावीर) is a Jain and Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin (Jain and Hindu usage).
Great hero; the last Jain Tirthankara; also a name of Hanuman
Mahavir (महावीर) is Sanskrit mahāvīra, "great hero". In Jainism it is the title of Vardhamana, the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara of the present age, who by tradition lived from about 599 to 527 BCE in what is now Bihar and gave Jain teaching its classic form, with its five great vows. Monier-Williams calls him the last and most celebrated Jain teacher, and also records Mahāvīra as an epithet of Vishnu, Garuḍa and Hanumān; Hindus often call Hanuman Mahavir. The name is therefore shared by Jain and Hindu families, and Mahavir Jayanti, his birth festival, is a public holiday in India.
In Hindu tradition this is a name of Hanuman.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 800 · entry mahā-vīra · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, mahā-vīra, p. 800 · Britannica, Mahavira
Famous namesakes
- Mahavira (Vardhamana), the 24th Jain Tirthankara
Fits your syllable
First sound म
Magha nakshatra, pada 1 · Simha rashi
This exact sound isn't in the table; the closest is मा, which differs only in vowel length. North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Mahavir · Mahaveer · Mahavira · Mahavier