Neeraj

Neeraj meaning

Neeraj (नीरज) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, नी, it is a Vrishchik rashi name (Anuradha nakshatra) in the North Indian table.

Water-born: a lotus or water lily

Neeraj (नीरज) is Sanskrit nīra-ja, "water-born", from nīra, "water", and -ja, "born": a poetic name for the lotus or water lily, built the same way as jalaja and paṅkaja, "born in water" and "born in mud". A separate Sanskrit word with the same letters, nī-raja, means "free from dust" or "free from passion" and is a name of Shiva; Monier-Williams lists it on p. 543. Name lists give Neeraj as "lotus", the same as the dictionary. The feminine form is Neeraja, or Neerja. The javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won India's first Olympic gold in athletics at Tokyo in 2021, is a famous bearer.

Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 566 · entry nīra-ja · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Monier-Williams, nīra-ja, p. 566 · Al Jazeera, India wins first ever Olympics track and field gold

Famous namesakes

• Neeraj Chopra, Olympic javelin champion (Tokyo 2020)

Fits your syllable

First sound नी

Anuradha nakshatra, pada 2 · Vrishchik rashi

North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.

Spellings

Neeraj · Niraj

Related names

Also meaning flower

Also starting with Nee-

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