Boy · Punjabi (from Sanskrit) · Sikh
Navtej
ਨਵਤੇਜSay it NUV-tej
- Meaning today
- New light, new radiance
- Original meaning
- "nav (new) joined with tej (radiance, splendour): new radiance" Mahan Kosh
- Say it
- NUV-tej
- Written
- ਨਵਤੇਜ
Navtej
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Navtej meaning
Navtej (ਨਵਤੇਜ) is a Sikh boy's name of Punjabi origin (from Sanskrit).
Nav (new) joined with tej (radiance, splendour): new radiance
Also used to mean: new light
Navtej (ਨਵਤੇਜ) combines nav, new, with tej, from Sanskrit tejas. The Mahan Kosh gives tej as brightness, radiance and lustre, and also as strength and fire; the Guru Granth Sahib uses it for radiant splendour (Ang 857). The name therefore means "new radiance", which name lists usually put as "new light". Navtej is a boys' name in Sikh families. The Bharatanatyam dancer Navtej Singh Johar, lead petitioner in the 2018 Supreme Court case that decriminalised homosexuality in India, is a well-known bearer.
Source: Mahan Kosh, Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha (1930) · entry ਤੇਜ · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Mahan Kosh, ਤੇਜ (srigranth.org) · Mahan Kosh, ਨਵ (srigranth.org) · Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 844 · Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 857 · Wikipedia, Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India
Famous namesakes
- Navtej Singh Johar, Bharatanatyam dancer
How the name is built
- Nav ਨਵ: new; also nine (Sanskrit nava)
Mahan Kosh · Guru Granth Sahib Ang 844 - Tej ਤੇਜ: brightness, radiance; also strength, fire
Mahan Kosh · Guru Granth Sahib Ang 857